A Shinra Love Story
by edenblack18
Summary: PostMeteor and Advent Children: A story about an unknown Turk who fell in love with the President of Shinra Inc. Rufus Shinra and her place in the story. Rating: T for language, violence, and sexual content. rating may go up.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: It's been a while since I've decided to do a Final Fantasy VII story. I hope you will all enjoy this story, for I have enjoyed writing it. It should be up-most interesting. Please read and review. But no flames, please. If you don't like this story, don't read it.

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Eden Black happily presents...

**A**

**Shinra**

**Love**

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Prologue:

It was a very dark and gloomy day when she had returned to the city, to the ruins she once called home. She had not been to the city for such a long time. Not since two years ago. Tears filled her eyes her eyes as she looked at the ruins. Memories of that place were swarming her mind. She had lived in Midgar at one time. She had lived there for almost ten years. Since she was a very little girl.

She had auburn colored hair, running down to her back, pulling into a loose braid. Her eyes were crystal blue, glowing almost like Mako. She was wearing a black uniform, respect for those who had died so many years ago, just because of the man she had called a friend once. She had been a Turk, one of the unknowns. No one had known her, except a few.

Her name was Lilie Moy. She was about 22 years old now. But when she had first arrived at Midgar City, she had been 10 years old.

"Mama?" She turned her head when she heard the tiny voice. She saw the little boy, standing up on the seat of her car. The little tyke had finally woken up from his nap. Lilie just smiled faintly as she breathed in the air deeply. She pushed her long bangs out of her eyes as she turned and walked over to the car.

"Yes, Reid?" She asked as she gently touched his chin.

The boy, Reid Moy, looked a little like Lilie in a way. Though she thought he looked a lot like his father. He had his father's strawberry blonde hair and her crystal blue eyes. He was such a tiny little tot but very bright. He was at least two years old, going on three soon. He was wearing little blue cordoroy pants and a long sleeve white sweater with a chocobo embrodoried into it. His face was almost angelic like her's had been once. It surprised Lilie how he had learned how to talk as he did. She had learned that he was quite the fast learner.

"Mama, whe' are wee?" He asked as he looked around the ruins. He didn't like this place. It was a little a creepy looking. And he hated the dark. Lilie smiled as she pulled the door open and picked up her son before looking around. "We just made a quick stop, honey. That's all." She sat down in the passenger side, setting Reid on her lap. "Bu' whe' are wee?" He asked again. His mother smiled as she looked around again. "This used to be my home, Reid. This is where your father was born." A sad glint appeared in her eyes. "A long time ago. This is where I first met him." And she began to tell him the story about his father.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter I:**

Lilie Moy had always wanted to come to the City, since she was very little. Her father had told her so many stories about it. She thought it sounded like the greatest place ever. It was the City of Shinra Inc., the greatest company ever known to the Planet. At least that's what she thought.

Her family was moving to the city from Costa Del Sol and this was the very first time she had ever been to Midgar City. Her parents were both scientists and they had been requested, personally, by the most famous scientist, Professor Hojo , Shinra Inc.'s head of the Science Department. So Lilie had heard, her parents were asked if they wanted to move to Midgar to help Professor Hojo in some of his experiments. All of the Moy's being very enthusiastic about it, they agreed. Of course, Lilie had her own reasons why she wanted to go to Midgar. She had always been very fond of the stories of the Turks, Shinra's special forces She had read up so many stories about them. She knew most of the legends and the famous names. Of all of the Turks she ever dreamed about meeting was the Head of the Turks, Tseng. It was said that he was one of the greatest Turks in history. He was one of her favorite Turks she had read about.

Of course, there was one other Turk she was facinated about too. She had read about the Turk in the history book one time and had always found him very facinating. In fact, she liked him more than Tseng. Now if only he was still alive, she would have loved to meet him.

The Turk she favored out of all the Turks in the history, was a man called Vincent Valentine. She had read all about him in the history books that she could find that had information about him. She just adored his story. She had heard from her father, a long time ago, that he had met Vincent Valentine once. When she asked, he told her as much as he could remember.

"He was quite a handsome young man when I had met him. I was very young though. He was no older than 27, I believe. Quite the silent one too. He didn't speak very much." Her father, Devid Moy had told her. "He had these brilliant blue eyes too. That was one thing I couldn't forget about him. His eyes must have been as blue as yours." he said tapping Lilie's nose softly, making her giggle.

Lilie just loved to read about Vincent Valentine. But her dreams of meeting him died when she found out that he had been killed a long time ago. So she could only dream about him.

"Lilie."

She snapped out of her day dream when she heard her mother speaking to her. She only reliezed that the car had finally stopped. She looked at her mother, who was smiling. "Lilie, we've arrived. Come. We're going inside now." Bella Moy said as she opened her door. Lilie hurried to follow her parents out of the car. She had to hold in her gasp when she looked up at the building standing before them. It was probably the biggest building in the world. She had never seen a building this large before. The top of the Headquarters disappeared into the clouds above so she really couldn't see it.

"Lilie, come along. Don't just stand there." Dr. Moy said as he took his daughter's hand. Lilie only looked at him with a smile as she let him pull her after her mother and himself.

"Daddy! Are we going to live here?" She asked looking back up at the building.

Dr. Moy only smiled down at her and shook his head. "Of course not. We have a house not far from here. We're just coming to meet with Professor Hojo first before we go home and settle in." He told her. Lilie nodded as they walked into the building.

The three of the Moys walked up to the security desk to ask for directions. "Hello, sir. How may I help you?" The woman behind the desk asked.

Dr. Moy pulled out his ID and showed it to her, as did his wife. "We're Dr. Devid and Bella Moy to see Professor Hojo, miss. He's expecting us." He told her. The woman took their IDs to run them through a scanner.

After a minute, she nodded as she handed them back. "Welcome to Shinra Inc., Doctors. I will have a security guard escort you to the labs." She said waving to one of the security guards, who walked over. "Please escort Dr. Moy and his family to Hojo's lab." She told him.

The guard nodded as motioned to the family of three. "Follow me and stay together. Shinra Inc. Headquarters is no place for a child." He said nodding to Lilie, who frowned at him. Dr. Moy only smiled. "You don't need to worry about her, sir. She won't get into mischief, will you, Lil?" He asked. The little girl shook her head as she smiled up at the stoic guard.

"Nope! I'll behave!" She said as cutely as she could.

A few of the other employees standing around had heard and awwed at how cute Lilie was being but the guard only stared dully at her.

"It's not that your daughter can get into mischief, Doctor. It's that we have many dangers." He told them and then turned to lead them to an elevator. Lilie frowned at the guard before sticking her tongue out at his back. The employees who had been watching only laughed.

The elevator they rode in was made out of glass so they could see the entire city from outside. Lilie couldn't help but stare in wonderment and confusion. The city was so packed with buildings and there was smoke and steam rising from pipes sticking out into the sky. She couldn't help but wonder, exactly how many people there were in Midgar City.

While the elevator stopped once for more passengers, Lilie didn't pay any attention to the person. All she saw from the guy in the glass was that he was wearing a deep blue uniform.

"Well, aren't you a few new faces?" The man asked in a cheerful voice.

Dr. Moy only smiled with his wife. "Uh-hmm. Yes, we just arrived. I am Dr. Devid Moy of Costa Del Sol. This is my wife and my assisstant, Bella. And this charming girl is my daughter, Lilie." He said as he placed his hands onto Lilie's shoulders. Lilie couldn't do anything but look up at the man now. There, she froze.

The man was a very handsome and young man. Younger than her father. I could have been at least 23 years old. He had long black hair, that fell neatly around his shoulders. His eyes were very dark but full of kindness. He even had a warm smile on his handsome face. And he was wearing the blue uniform of a Turk.

"Ah, Dr. Moy. I have heard of you. You wrote that brilliant piece on Mako Reactors. Well, I should introduce myself for I am being rude. I am the Head of the Special Forces called the Turks. The name's Tseng."

Lilie's heart nearly swelled up as a big smile appeared on her face. It was Tseng!!

"Ah, so you're Tseng. We've heard a lot about you. Of course, by a few other scientists and from my daughter. She's your biggest fan." Dr. Bella Moy said with a smile.

Tseng turned his eyes onto the blushing Lilie. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Really? I didn't know I had any fans. This is a pleasure." He gently took Lilie's hand then kissed the back of it. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lilie."

Lilie blushed even redder as she curtied for him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tseng." She said. Tseng stood up straight. "Just call me Tseng." He told her before looking at the doctors. "Your daughter is extremely lovely. I suppose she gets her looks from you, Dr. Moy." He said looking at Bella, who blushed a little pink herself. Dr. Devid only smiled and shook his head. The three adults began to talk as the elevator continued to go up.

Finally the doors opened and another person was standing there. Tseng let out a deep sigh as soon as he saw him. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you." He said sounding extremely relieved.

The person happened to be a 13 year old boy, who was pretty handsome for his age. He had silky strawberry blonde hair and icy blue eyes that had immediately went to Lilie the very second the doors opened. He was wearing a white uniform with a deep blue shirt under it. Lilie couldn't help but stare right back at him. She had never seen someone around her age that wore a uniform before.

After a few seconds, the boy looked at Tseng. "I was just taking a walk around the building, Tseng. I told you where I was going." He said in a huffy way.

Tseng folded his arms giving him a cross look. "Rufus, this building has more than a hundred rooms. And there is only one me. You should have been more specific about where you were going." The young boy only rolled his eyes before looking at the doctors. Tseng noticed the other three again before looking a little embarrassed. "Oh. Excuse me. Doctors, Lilie, this is Rufus Shinra, the son of the President. Rufus, this is Doctors, Devid and Bella Moy. Along with their daughter, Lilie." He informed the curious looking three.

Rufus lifted his head a little higher, looking proud. Lilie felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. She didn't like this boy. He looked like a rich boy pansy. And it was more than likely that he was because the way he was acting. Lilie could already tell that if there was ever going to be a relationship between her and this boy, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Well, Rufus Shinra. It is a deep pleasure to meet you. I'm looking forward in meeting your father sometime too." Dr. Devid Moy said with a bright smile.

Rufus had this look on his face that only Lilie could read very well. From what she could see, the look definitely said, _'Yeah, well, you shouldn't. Because he's a toad.'_ But instead of saying that, he said, "Pleasure is all mine, Dr. Moy. I can arrange a meeting sometime if you would like. My father may be busy though. He always is." There was that tone in his voice as if it was very true. Lilie could see Rufus Shinra's eyes had darkened at the word 'father'. She wondered what this guy's problem was. But instead of asking, she looked back out the window. She knew that Rufus Shinra was watching her. She could feel his eyes burning into her back.

"So what brings you here, Doctors?" Tseng asked.

The elevator finally stopped and they all walked off with the guard leading them. Tseng eventually dismissed the guard and said that he would take them now. The guard seemed happy though. He didn't seem to like being around Rufus Shinra.

The five of them walked into what looked like a lab. It was a huge lab. Bigger than any lab Lilie had ever seen. There were computers all over the place, and in a corner, there were tables with tubes, viles, burners, everything that could be seen in a Chemistry lab. There were a lot of people in lab coats too. In another corner there were a few rows full of strange looking creatures. Some of them looked very vicious though.

Lilie stopped to get a good look around. She was so amazed by everything. She had never seen a lab this big and with so much stuff. She didn't notice that her group was walking on without her. The adults seemed to busy talking to notice. Lilie just stood there for a long moment before she noticed that she was alone. She looked around to see where her parents had gone but there was too many people rushing around that she couldn't see them. She felt extremely nervous now. She was surrounded by strangers and there was not one familiar face amongst them.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked now walking around hoping to find them.

She almost bumped into a rushing by scientist. The man only glared at her as he walked on by. Lilie began to curl her fingers in her hair as she wandered around, trying to find her parents or Tseng. She didn't care for Rufus Shinra. She was still annoyed with him.

Unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was going and she walked right into someone. That someone was built like a wall so she ended up staggering back, almost falling if it wasn't for that someone grabbing her arm to steady her. She looked up at who she had walked into and froze. This was one tall young man. He was a lot bigger than her. She had to crane her neck a little just to get a look at his face.

He was pretty young as well. Maybe at least 19 years old by the looks of him. He had very long, silver white hair that ran down to his lower back with long bangs hanging down the sides of his face. His eyes were glowing emerald green. He was wearing all black leather. And he had a pale complexion, yet he looked almost angelic. Almost like an angel in black.

He wasn't alone. The man was walking with two other men. One was a rich, plump looking man. He had graying blonde hair and a mustache and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a very clean, reddish-orange business suit. In his hand was a cigar, emitting greenish gray smoke.

The last man was a scientist, with no doubt. He had too had long black hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail and the most blackest eyes Lilie had ever seen. She did not like this man at all by the sight of him. His eyes were hidden behind silver, small rimmed glasses and he was wearing a white lab coat over his black clothing.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The silver haired man said as he gently smiled down at the girl.

The other two men looked just as curious, though the scientist was more glaring at her. He didn't look like he wanted Lilie to be there at all. Lilie cowered under his gaze. She did not like him at all.

The silver haired man seemed to notice and he glanced over at the very much smaller man, frowning darkly at him. He then turned his eyes back onto Lilie. "Where did you come from, little one?" He asked in a kind voice.

Lilie looked back at him. "Uh..."

"Lilie! There you are!"

Lilie's head whipped around when she heard her father's voice. She saw her parents, Tseng and Rufus Shinra hurrying towards her. Her father looked very relieved but not too happy. "Lilie, didn't we tell you not to wander off?" Dr. Moy said. Lilie lowered her head a little in an ashamed way. The silver haired man only chuckled. "Don't be angry at her. She didn't do anything wrong. No harm done."

The doctor looked up at the young man. Tseng just stepped forward with a smile. "Hello, Mr. President, Professor, Sephiroth. It's a pleasant surprise to see you back so soon, Sephiroth. I didn't know you were coming back yet."

The silver haired man looked at him with a smile. "Hello, Tseng. I was just bringing the reviews on the war. That's all." His eyes turned to the two doctors. Tseng nodded as if reading his mind. He looked at the Professor. "Professor Hojo, you have a few visitors." He said motioning to the doctors.

Dr. Devid Moy stepped forward with a smile. "Professor Hojo. We meet at last. I am Dr. Devid Moy and this is my wife, Dr. Bella Moy. We believe you requested us to come help you with your work."

The scientist then nodded as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Ah, Dr. Moy. Yes. I'm so pleased that you have come. We do have a lot of work a head of us. You will begin as soon as possible, of course." He said. Dr. Moy nodded. Tseng then motioned to the man in the business suit, who took the cigar out of his mouth as he stepped forward. "Doctors, this is the President of Shinra Inc., President Augustice Shinra." He said. Both Dr. Devid and Bella Moy smiled in wonderment. "Mr. President! This is indeed a great honor." He said with a grin.

President Shinra was actually eyeing his son with a strange look before he returned the smile. "As it is for me, Doctor. I have read your paper on Mako. Brilliant, I must say."

Lilie was still staring up at the silver haired man with awe. She couldn't believe he was so tall and handsome. She had never seen a man like this before. The man noticed her looking at him and he just smiled at her. He gave her a light wink making her smile right back.

"And this strapping young fellow is Sephiroth, General of SOLDIER." The President of Shinra Inc. said as he clapped his hand on the tall young man's shoulder.

Lilie saw the amazed looks on her parents' faces. They looked almost too stunned for words. "The Sephiroth? Wow. This is a surprise. I never thought I would have gotten to meet you, General." Dr. D. Moy said holding out his hand. Sephiroth took his hand with a nod of greeting. "Surprises come in very unexpecting ways, Doctor." He then turned his eyes onto Lilie. "And what is this young lady's name? I don't think I heard it." he said, kneeling down on one knee. Lilie just gave him a shy smiled as she felt her mother place her hand onto her shoulder. "This is our daughter, Lilie." She said. Sephiroth just gave Lilie a smile as he took her hand gently into his. "Lilie. Such a pretty name. Pretty name for a pretty girl."

Lilie blushed bright red making everyone but Rufus Shinra and Professor Hojo laugh. Sephiroth stood up straight as he looked back at the Professor. "Well, I must go back to my duties. I'll be coming back to discuss about the new troops with you, Professor." he said. Hojo only nodded. With another wink at Lilie, Sephiroth walked away.

Professor Hojo turned to Devid. "Well, doctors. I am looking forward to working with you both. If you would come with me, we can discuss about what we will work on."

The two doctors nodded before pausing. "Oh, Devid." Bella said as she turned back around. "What about Lilie?"

Devid glanced from his daughter to Professor Hojo. He was pretty sure that she wasn't allowed to join them. The Professor looked a little annoyed. However, Rufus spoke first. He stepped forward, lifting his head a little high. "I can give her a tour around the building. I mean, if she would like to." He said. Both Doctors both smiled brightly. "Oh! That would be so nice of you, Young Shinra. Lilie, why don't you go along with Mr. Rufus Shinra. It'll give you something to do while we're here." Bella said. Lilie wasn't exactly looking thrilled of having Rufus Shinra as her tour guide but it was better than just standing around doing nothing. So she shrugged and rolled her eyes. "All right." She said dully. Her parents, Tseng and President Shinra all laughed at her lack of enthusiasm. Rufus, however, seemed to be annoyed. But no one paid attention.

"Ah, Tseng. Speaking of which, I need to speak to you about the security around here." The President said. Tseng nodded. All of the adults went off leaving Lilie and Rufus together.

There was a long silence before Rufus turned around, folding his arms behind his arms behind his back. "Well? Are you coming or not?" He asked impatiently. Lilie glared at him before she started to follow him.

The tour was very boring at first. Rufus had took Lilie to the top of the building to start there. Lilile was completely bored by the first ten minutes were up. She just followed him without saying anything. After the next five minutes while Rufus tried to explain what the President usually did, she yawned.

"Is the President's job really that boring?" She asked interuptting him in midsentence.

Rufus just gave her a cool look for interupting him. "No. It's a really exciting job. And I can't wait till I get to be the President." he said. Lilie rolled her eyes as she crinkled her nose. "How boring. I hate to see what's not exciting." She said in a bored tone. Rufus glared at her. "Oh really? If that's boring to you, what do you want to do? Be a science loving scientist? How original."

Lilie glared right back at him. "No. I want to be a Turk." She said in a state of matter tone.

Rufus gave a sharp laugh. "You?! A Turk?! Don't make me laugh!"

Lilie clenched her fists tightly to keep her temper from blowing. She hated it when someone laughed at her. "I can be a Turk if I want!" She said. Rufus smirked at her. "Come with me. Let me show you real Turks." He said offering his arm. Lilie blinked a few times in surprise. But then she frowned at her, folding her arms. "Go ahead and lead the way, pretty boy." She said. Rufus continued to smirk as he lowered his arm and lead her to the elevator.

They arrived on the 50th floor where there were quite a lot of people, rushing here and there. And most of them were wearing blue uniforms just like Tseng had. Lilie looked amazed as she looked around at the people.

Rufus only glanced around before he motioned for her to follow him. "Come on. This way." He said. Lilie looked at him but followed.

The two of them walked down a long hall before entering a room where there was some yelling. Lilie's eyes grew wide at what she was seeing. This room was where the Turks could train in whatever they did. It was a very large room. There were six large sparring mats lined near the wall while there were punching dummies near the other wall. Along with five punching bags. Two men were sparring on one of the mats. They were throwing their fists at one another, blocking and sending kicks. They didn't look like they were holding back at all. Another man was punching the hell out of a punching bag. Lilie stared with awe as she looked around the room. Her eyes stopped on a woman sparring with another man. They were duking it out just like the first two. But the woman was amazingly fast.

"Now, these are real Turks." Rufus said with a smirk.

Lilie couldn't help but smile as she slowly walked into the room to watch the Turks train. Rufus only folded his arms and followed her. "Wow. This is so cool." He heard her whisper. He rose an eyebrow smiling a little as he stepped up to her side. "You really want to be a Turk, don't you?" He asked. Lilie looked at him as if it was obvious. "Are you kidding?! I've dreamed about being a Turk since I was six. I've read all about them!" She said in an excited tone.

Rufus only tossed his bangs back. "Really? Well, I'll see if I can talk Tseng into letting you enroll in Turk training."

Lilie's eyes grew very wide at the suggestion. Her mouth fell down wide with surprise. "You would do that?" She gasped. Rufus lazily shrugged. "Sure." He then smirked at her. "Of course, I don't see the point. I know you'd never make it." He said. Lilie's eyes darkened as she glared at him. Her face started to turn a little red from rage. "I can make it. I know I can." She said seriously. Rufus only smirked. "We'll see." He shrugged. "You know anything about fighting?"

The red haired girl smirked right back at him. "Wouldn't you want to know?" She asked. Rufus grinned at her. "Why don't we find out right now? There's a mat free. Unless, of course, you're afraid." He said. Lilie's eyes narrowed at him as she rose a fist right under his nose. He only gave it a look before he smirked right back at her. "I'm not afraid of anything. And if you ever say that I am, I'll give you a black eye!" She threatened.

Rufus only rolled his eyes as he slapped her fist away from his face. "You know, threatening the son of the President of Shinra Inc. would get you put in prison." He said. Lilie gave him a cool look. "So what? They wouldn't throw a girl my age in prison just for teaching you a lesson." She said. Rufus grinned. "Well, then let's go."

Lilie pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail so it wouldn't be in the way. Her crystal blue eyes looking straight at the strawberry blonde haired boy who was taking off his white jacket so it wouldn't get ruined. Then they faced one another as they stepped onto the mat. They had removed their shoes so none of them would get seriously hurt.

"All right. Here's rule number one. Whoever gets shoved off the mat, the winner gets a point. The first person to ten points wins." Rufus said.

Lilie nodded. "Okay. Rule number two, no cheating. And absolutely no being a poor sport if you get knocked out off the mat."

Rufus nodded as he placed a fist onto his waist. "All right. Agreed. Rule number three, make it clean. That means no hitting below the belt."

Lilie shrugged. "Fine. Oh, one more. If you get pinned, you automatically lose."

Rufus grinned as he stood in a defensive stance. "All right. Sounds good to me. Get ready to be pinned, Lilianne."

Lilie glared at him. "My name is Lilie. Get it through your head, Rufus Doofus." She said spreading her feet apart and raising her hands. Rufus glared at her. And then they began their fight.

Some of the Turks had stopped what they were doing when they saw what was going on. The four sparring together all stopped and smirked when they saw the boss's kid facing a girl. They all slowly started to surrounded the mat to watch.

"Argh!" Rufus yelled as he swung his fist at Lilie, who quickly jumped to the side to avoid his fist. She swung up with her arm, knocking his fist away from her. She spun in a circle and threw her elbow into his gut. He staggered back giving her a look while holding his side. "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

Lilie gave him a bitter sweet smile. "Tough titty said the rough kitty." She said as she rushed forward now throwing her fists at him.

Rufus quickly blocked each attack, backing up a little. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to see where he was going before he caught Lilie's fist and pulled her forward as he ducked around her, giving her a shove from behind. She gasped as she staggered right off the mat. She turned and gave him a cold look. "Hey! What's with the shoving!" She hissed. Rufus gave her a bitter smile. "Tough titty." The Turks around them laughed.

The fight only heated up as the two fought on. They were throwing their fists and feet at one another and none of them could hit the other because the other would block pretty quickly. Some of the Turks were now making bets about who was going to win. The two youngsters didn't even relieze that Tseng and Sephiroth had stepped into the room, looking confused.

"What's going on here?" Tseng asked as he pushed through the small crowd.

One of the Turks just shrugged. "The boss's kid and some girl are duking it out." He told him. Tseng's eyes lit up see Rufus ducked under a flying kick from Lilie. Sephiroth looked just as surprised but smiled as he watched her spin around and throw a fist right into Rufus's side, sending him staggering off the mat.

"That's six points for me! Six to five!"

Rufus glared at Lilie. "No it's not! It's Five to six. I'm six!"

Lilie glared back at him. "Oh yeah?! I'll show you!" She rushed forward, swinging around to behind him as he tried to throw his fist at her. She grabbed his shoulders, and knocked his feet out from under him while pulling him downward. Rufus landed hard onto his back with a loud grunt. Lilie quickly jumped onto his chest, pinning his arms down. "Ha! Pinned ya! I win!" She laughed.

Rufus blinked in surprised before his face darkened as he shoved her off. He got to his feet glowering at her as she stood up and brushed herself off with a satisfied smirk. It was only when an applause broke out around them did they noticed that they were being watched. Rufus's mood seemed only to darken from embarrassment. He had just been beaten by a girl right in front of all of the Turks. Talking about major humilation. He tossed his bangs out of his eyes as he glared at her. "You only got lucky because I was taking it easy on you. It's just because you're a girl."

Laughs erupted around the two while Lilie just glared hard at him. "Why you...!" She said starting forward with her fist raised.

But someone caught it as she started to swing and she looked up at the smiling face of Sephiroth. "That's enough, you two. You've proved your point." He looked at Rufus with a smirk. "Besides, she's pretty good. You should give her some credit, Rufus Shinra."

Rufus just folded his arms and turned his head away, not giving in. Tseng just chuckled as he walked forward. "I must say. I am impressed. Is that the first time you ever fought anyone, Miss Moy?" He asked. Lilie lowered her arm as Sephiroth let it go. "Sort of. I've learned a lot of Martial arts and all." She said. Tseng smiled. "Well, you have trained very well."

Lilie smiled proudly as she looked at Rufus, who rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I still think you won't make it." He told her. Lilie ignored him. Tseng and Sephiroth smiled curiously. "Make it in what?" The silver haired General asked. Lilie smiled brightly. "Turk training! He doesn't think I have what it takes!" She said. Tseng smiled slyly as he rubbed his chin. "Turk training, hm? Is that what you're interested in?" He asked. Lilie nodded vigorously. "Yeah! And since you're the leader, what do you think?! Do you think I could be a Turk, Tseng?!" She asked looking rather hopefully.

Tseng and Sephiroth looked at one another with smiles before they shrugged. "I don't know. You are a little younger than most canidates for Turks." The Leader of the Turks said. Lilie's smile faded as she felt her hope starting to crash. Rufus just smirked. "See."

Sephiroth shook his head as he folded his arms, with a crooked smile. "Well, the thing is, Tseng. Even though she's young, she just beat Rufus Shinra in a sparring match. And that's saying something." Lilie couldn't help but laugh at the look on the young Shinra's face.

Tseng just pushed his own long bangs out of his eyes. "You have a point there, Sephiroth. We'll just have to keep our eyes on Lilie then, won't we? In Turk training, of course." He said. Lilie's heart nearly pound right out of her chest as she felt her smile grow wide on her face. "You really mean that?!" She asked. Tseng and Sephiroth both laughed. "Of course, Lilie. But we will need to talk with your parents about it first." The Leader of the Turks said.

Lilie bounced up and down with happiness. She didn't see the mysterious smirk on Rufus's face as he turned away. "I just know they'll let me! They know how much this kind of thing means to me!" Lilie said happily.

"Well tell you one thing. I'm going to wish you good luck." Rufus said as he kept his back facing her. Lilie blinked a few times as she looked at him in wonder. Rufus turned around giving her a smirk. "Because you're going to really need it." Then he walked away with a glaring Lilie making a face at him.

Tseng and Sephiroth only laughed. "Don't take him so serious, Lilie. That's his way of saying he likes you." The Silver haired man said.

Lilie pulled a face. "Ugh! Yuck!" The two men only laughed again.

Later that night, Lilie was sitting in her new room of the apartment her family was staying in. The house maids had already unpacked her things and her room was all set. Her bed sat near the window so she could look out at the city, which she was doing at the moment. She smiled as she looked at all of the lights. It was so beautiful with all of the lights. She couldn't think it was so bad at all.

With a peaceful sigh, Lilie looked back down at the drawing she had been working on. For someone her age, she was a very good artist. She had been offered to join an art school but she didn't take the offer. She was drawing the people she had met that day. At the moment, she was finishing up the drawing of Rufus Shinra. She smiled as soon as she was done. The drawing of Rufus Shinra had amusment on his face, the smirk he had given her. Lilie couldn't help but admire that drawing. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she did think that Rufus was pretty cute. Stubborn, pighead and spoiled, but cute. She just knew things were going to be very interesting now that her parents had approved her to joining the Turk Training courses.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter 2:**

Over the next few days, Lilie had not heard if she had been approved to join the training courses just yet. She knew that Tseng had approved of her, but hadn't said anything just yet. But finally the day came. Tseng had sent a message to her parents saying that he would like to see her that day. So she was riding in the car with her parents towards the Headquarters.

As soon as they arrived, Lilie could see Tseng waiting outside. He smiled just as the car pulled up. When it stopped, he pulled the door open for the family of three. The Moys all climbed out of the car, giving Tseng a smile.

"Good morning, Doctors. Hojo is waiting in the lab." The leader of the Turks informed the two.

Dr. Devid nodded. "Thank you, Tseng." He looked at Lilie. "You behave now, Lil. No blackening eyes, all right?" He said with a smile. Lilie smiled right back at him as she nodded. "Yes, daddy." She said. Dr. Devid smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead then stepped back to let Dr. Bella hug her. Then they rushed off.

Tseng just smiled when the little girl looked up at him. "Well, welcome, Lilie. I am glad you came to join us in Turk Training. You ready to join the rest?"

Lilie smiled brightly. "Yes, sir." She said with a salute. Tseng smiled and shook his head. "Good. Now follow me." He said. Lilie nodded and they walked into the building.

The two walked towards the elevators and went up to the 50th floor. A few times while walking down the halls, Tseng had to slow down and wait. Lilie wasn't as fast as he was. Her legs were much shorter than his. He didn't seem to mind at all though. He was very patient and was always giving her a smile.

Finally they came to a room where Lilie could hear some voices from the other side. When Tseng opened the door, she saw that the room was a conference room. There were quite a few teens older than her. They were all at least a few years older than her and it made her face flush a little when they all turned to face her. She saw quite a few eyebrows rise from the sight of her.

Tseng only placed his hand on her back, nudging her inside the room. "Take a seat, Lilie." He told her and she hurried to obey.

Lilie chose a chair next to a 15-year-old boy, who seemed to really stand out from the others. While everyone else was wearing his or her uniforms rather in a tidy way, he was wearing his uniform untidy. His white shirt wasn't tucked in and was a little unbuttoned at the top to reveal his chest. He had flaming red hair, which fell longer than the others did. He kept it pulled back into a small ponytail. On top of his head he was wearing sunglasses. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms folding behind his head and his feet propped up on the table.

"Good morning, everyone." Tseng said as he moved around the table. Everyone murmured his or her good mornings with faint smiles while the red haired teen grinned and waved heartily. "Yo, T!" He said rather cheerfully.

Tseng smiled at him as he folded his hands behind his back. "Well, I see you didn't sleep in this time, Reno. That's a first."

The boy only grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Well, who could sleep with Mr. Snore-more over there." He said nodding to another boy sitting across from the room. Everyone laughed while the one he was talking about glared at him.

Tseng only shook his head, chuckling. "I see. Well, before we get started," He motioned to Lilie. "This is Lilie Moy. She's our newest addition to the training classes. Her family just moved to Midgar City. She's also the youngest of you lot, so you all better be nice. And that means you, Reno." He said pointing at the red head, which was grinning viciously. Everyone only waved at Lilie or smiled.

One, however, looked at her in a questioning. "Exactly how old is she? She looks like she's nine." One boy asked. Lilie frowned at that. Tseng just smiled. "Close enough, Brodrick. She's ten."

The others all glanced at one another while Reno whistled. "Wow, Tseng. Ain't she a little young to be joining the Junior Turks? I thought you were suppose to be 13 to join." He said. Lilie only gave him a look. "Just because I'm ten doesn't mean I can't kick your butt."

"Awwww!" Everyone laughed while Tseng smiled. "Lilie." He warned in a pleasant way. Reno was laughing his head off as if he found that rather funny. "Wow! She can talk the talk. But can walk the walk?" Lilie didn't say anything but gave him a cool smile. Tseng just smirked. "You would be surprised, Reno, on how good she is. In fact, she could give you a run for your money." He told her.

Reno only gave a sharp laugh. "Yeah, right." He said as he leaned back into his chair.

Lilie ignored him. Tseng only shook his head with a sly smile. "All right. Let's begin. We're going to go to the training center and start the classes. I want everyone to follow me And Reno..." He paused. Reno looked at him as he started to stand with the others. An innocent smile on his devilish face. "No pranks today. Last week, it took the janitor forever to clean up that fake blood of yours in the training court. Not to mention, you scared the hell out of Stanley when you faked that you got shot." Tseng said with a smile. Reno grinned towards the Mr. Snore-more teen, who glared harder at him. "So if you have any blood capsules, stink bombs, paintballs, anything, hand it over." The Turk Leader said. The red head only grinned as he began to empty his pockets. Lilie watched in astonishment as she counted all the items he had in his pockets. So far she could see eleven stink bombs, six smoke bombs, nine blood capsules and a sling shot. She couldn't believe he could cram so much into his pockets. Tseng smiled as soon as Reno gave him all of his objects. "You have these back later." He told him. And then they left the room.

The students were all taken to a very large weight room. It was full of weight machines and a few treadmills. In a corner there was two sparring mats and four punching dummies.

Lilie just stood right where she was, waiting for instructions. She wasn't too sure what she was suppose to do in this room. The others, however, just started doing their own things. Half of them started on the weights while the other half were stretching or running on the treadmills. She couldn't help but marvel at what these kids usually did with their days.

"Lilie." She turned to look at Tseng, who stepped up to her. "In this room, you mostly exercise, build up your muscles. We want you to be extremely strong and ready for the real Turk training. As you see, half of the students are divided up. Half uses the machines first, the other half stretch or do their own thing. Their ID numbers divides them up. I have your number right here." He handed her a card, which she took and looked at it. "Your number is 84623. All of the students usually have 846 in their numbers, so you're just number 23. That would make you apart of the second half of the class, so you get to stretch first. I would prefer it that way. You can take a field test, but I think it would be best if you worked on your skills first. Be friendly with the others. And watch yourself with Reno. He likes to play pranks a lot. Especially on the new comers." He told her.

Lilie nodded as she took in the information. "We come to the training center Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays are study days. Later I'll give you a book of Turks. You need to read it and once a month we will test you." Lilie nodded and she began.

She started on stretching just like Tseng told her to do. She could see some of the others glancing at her. Some of them didn't exactly look too friendly. They were actually giving her looks as if they didn't want her there. Except one. And that was Reno. In fact, he wasn't even looking at her. He was working hard on the machines. It surprised Lilie to see the look on his face. His face was twisted with determination. Lilie immediately realized that he was just like her. He really wanted to be a Turk. She noticed that the others were talking to one another so she decided to talk to someone. She walked up to a girl that was closest her age, whom was stretching like her.

"Hi. I'm Lilie."

The girl shot her a discontent look as she stretched. She continued to stretch. "...Look! I don't...huff...care what your name is...huff...right now! Can't...you see...that...arg!" She stood up straight, trying to catch her breath. She gave Lilie a very icy look. "Look at what made me do! I lost count! Now I have to start all over again. Get away from me, tadpole." She then moved over to where Lilie wasn't.

Lilie watched her before sighing and went over to the next girl. Again, she received the same treatment. Then when she tried to talk to one of the guys, they gave her the cold shoulder. Sighing, she went back to stretching. She didn't know that someone was watching her.

That is until he spoke up.

"Hey, Lil." She looked over at Reno, who was doing bench pressing. He was in the middle of pushing the weights up and once he had them up, he looked over at her and nodded for her to walk over. "Come' ere."

Lilie glanced around and noticed that some of the others were looking at her but she shrugged and walked over for the heck of it. "What do you want?"

Reno gave a short laugh as he placed the weights down and sat up. "Wow, you sure are nice to someone who wants to talk, ya know." He said rather sarcastically.

Lilie pushed her bangs back, now feeling just a little ashamed. "Sorry." She murmured.

Reno crinkled his nose and dully looked at her before shaking his head. "Don't apologize. Ever. Here's a word of advice." Lilie looked at him in surprise. Then he only shook his head. "Give up. You're still too young. Wait a couple of years and then you can do it."

Lilie frowned loathingly at him. "I am not going to give up, you hear?! I want to be a Turk." She said coolly.

Reno only smirked at her as he stood up and went to the next machine. She just stood there. "Oh really? What's your reason to wanting to be a Turk?"

Again, Lilie was surprised. She blinked a few times before shaking her head. "Do I have to have a reason?"

Reno nodded. "Sure ya do. I mean, not really but all of us all have reasons. Take Jenna over there for example." He said nodding over to the girl that Lilie had first spoke to. "Her mom's working for HoneyBee Inn. You've heard of that place, haven't you?" Lilie made a face as she heard the very word. Of course she heard of that place. It was a place for nighttime pleasures for men. She, herself, really hated those type of places. She would never set foot in a place like HoneyBee Inn. "Judging by the look on your face, I'll take that as a yes. Well, the reason why she works for that place is because of Don Corneo." Lilie looked at Reno when he spoke in a low voice. "The fat man owns all of the Wall Street sector. It's a place for whores, horney dudes and the worst kind of thugs. Jenna's mom was unfortunate to be a gentle lady in that place and ended up getting poked by Don Corneo. And I don't mean getting jabbed by a finger. That's a nicer way of putting that she got raped and forced to work for him." He told her.

Lilie looked at Jenna with sympathy. "That's terrible."

Reno nodded as he did crunches now. "What's even worst is, Jenna's a bastard child. She's Don Corneo's daughter. When she found out what really happened to her mom, she ran away from home. It was because Don Corneo wanted to use her. Tseng found her and took pity on her when others wouldn't. So that's why she's here. She plans on becoming a Turk so she can take Don Corneo out herself." He told her.

He then nodded over to a boy working on his arm muscles. "As for Brodrick over there, he's a wimp but he has his reasons for wanting to be Turk. Mercenaries murdered his father. He wants to be a Turk because it would give him access to nailing the bastards that killed him." He told him.

Lilie looked at him. "What about you? What's your reason?"

Reno didn't answer. He just glanced at her before shaking his head as he went back to doing his crunches. There was a long silence between them before Reno sat up again. "I got caught stealing bread. I was living on the streets with my little sister." He told her. Lilie looked surprised at that. The red head shook his head with a smirk. "I was 11 years old and I kicked the shit out full grown men who were supposingly in Shinra Inc.'s army. Tseng thought that was just too damn hilarious. So he offered me to be put in Turk training to make a better life for me and my sister. He told me that I could take care of my sister by becoming a Turk. That's why I'm doing it. Because my sister deserves a better life than being on the streets." He told her.

Lilie only smiled as she took in the information. She found Reno very honorable now. He was doing it for his sister. There was no more honorable way than that.

"Say, Reno. You want to be friends?"

Reno was in the middle of doing one of his crunches before he started laughing. He sat up again, giving her a very strange smile. "Friends with you? Ha! Yeah right! You'd probably ask me to teach you what I know! What a laugh!" Lilie couldn't help but laugh. She found this kind of funny. Especially on what he said next. "Aw, hell. Why not? It'd give me something to think about besides putting worms up Brodrick's nose while he's sleeping." Lilie really had to laugh when she saw the spoken person look their way and give Reno the dirtiest look.

So, her training with Reno began. What was better though, Tseng didn't seem to mind at all that Reno was helping her out. In fact, he looked pleased when he saw Reno helping her with weight lifting. They even sparred together when it came to the combat training. Reno taught Lilie a few moves that he knew and she taught him that she was a very fast learner. The only thing was, the other students didn't seem pleased that Reno was letting Lilie learn more and more. They even told him that helping a baby girl wasn't going to help himself. They shut up pretty quickly when Reno egged Lilie into punching the guy who said that. Lilie got in trouble for doing it. And Reno got in trouble for egging her into it. So they were lectured by Tseng for fighting and their punishment was they were going to do some more heavy duty training. Though Reno and Lilie both really wanted to do it. The problem was, none of them had weapons. So Tseng took them to a special room full of weapons.

"Go ahead and choose your weapons. You will use them in your training." He told them as he stood by the door.

Reno and Lilie glanced at one another before stepping forward and started looking through the weapons. Reno wasn't looking very amused with any of the weapons. He looked extremely bored actually. He eventually picked up a long rod and looked it over. "What the hell is this? What a bogus thing? Man, how dumb!" He looked at the smile on Tseng's face. "Tseng, you got some dorky weapons!"

Tseng tilted his head and pointed. "Push that button at the top." He told him. Reno looked up at the end of the rod before he did.

Suddenly electricity ran through Reno's body, zapping him. Lilie had gasped when she saw him being zapped like that. Even his red hair was standing on end. As soon as it stopped, Reno just stood there with wide eyes then he grinned. "Man! That's is so cool! This is totally mine!" He then fell back onto the ground. Lilie laughed with Tseng as they watched him. The mentor walked over and helped Reno up to his feet, taking the weapon from him. He then handed back, only this time the right way. "This is how it goes, Reno. Not the other way around."

Lilie was admiring a pair of silver bladed Psis. They were extremely sharp, she could see that. The blades had a mirror like look to them and she could see her reflection. There was a black leather grip around the handles for a better grip. They were 13 inches long and the blades were sharp like knives. They were the most beautiful pair she had seen. She even twirled them with her fingers. They were perfect.

"I see you fansy the Silver Tridents."

She looked up to see, surprisingly, Sephiroth.

Tseng and Reno had even turned around when they heard his voice and they smiled. "Sephiroth. So you're back from the mission. How'd it go?" The Turk Leader asked.

The silver haired man looked over at him, returning the smile. "It went well actually. Too well for my liking. The resistence group was no problem at all." He said then he looked at Lilie. "Well, we meet again, Miss Lilie. And if you're with Tseng and his trouble making student, then I would think you have become another student of his, hm?" He earned a indignified "Hey!" from Reno.

Lilie only laughed as she nodded. "Yes, Mister Sephiroth. I've always wanted to be a Turk and this is my only chance."

Sephiroth only gave her a smile as he held out his hand for the Psi. She didn't hesitate to giving it to him. The Silver haired General looked the weapons over before slashing at the air with them. They only made a whistle through the air. Giving a nod of satisfaction, he handed them back. "These are good weapons, Lilie. They'll serve you well as a Turk. Use them well." He said. Lilie nodded with a smile. "Thank you, sir." She said. Sephiroth nodded his respects to her before looking at Tseng. "Tseng, Reno. Have fun." He then turned and left the weaponary room.

Reno grinned at Lilie as he flung his arm around her shoulders as they started to follow their Leader. "Wow, Lil. I envy you." He said. Lilie looked up at him. "Huh? Why?" She asked. The red head only shook his head. "It takes a lot to get respect from a guy like Sephiroth. He doesn't like very many people and is usually quiet and keeps to himself. But he likes you. I can tell."

Lilie pulled a face. "You don't mean..."

Reno laughed as he shook his head. "No. You're ten, Lilie. He's not going to like you like that. I mean, he seems to think that you've got potentional. And if Sephman thinks you have potentional, then you are most definite to get into the Turks." He said. Lilie's eyes brightened as she looked right at him. "You think so?" She asked. Once again, Reno nodded. "Yeah. Sephman kind of makes the decision, with Tseng, of course, who gets to be in Turks and who doesn't. He is the General, ya know." He said. Lilie smiled brightly. "Cool!" She said. They continued to follow Tseng back to the training floor when they heard something going on in a room. It sounded like someone was arguing.

"Huh, What the heck?" Reno said as the two of them stopped in front a room. Lilie just stared at a slightly opened door. "What's that noise?" She asked. The red head shook his head as he stepped closer to the door. "Don't know. Sounds like the Prez is yelling at someone." He said. The two of them peeked into the room. None of them were ready to see what they were about to.

Indeed, President Shinra was yelling at someone but none of them hadn't expected him to yell at his own son. Rufus Shinra was standing before his father, cowering a little as his father stood over him. Lilie had to hold in a gasp when she noticed him holding one of his hands over a growing bruise on the side of his face.

"Father, I didn't mean it that way. I was just saying..." Rufus was saying as he lowered his hand.

Unfortunately, that was the que for President Shinra to slap him across the face. "Do not play me as a fool, you worthless boy! I am not an idiot! When I tell you to do something, you will do it without any complaints! Do you understand?! Now get out of my face, you little welp!" The president snapped.

Looking very forlorn, Rufus gave his father a cool look as he turned away from him and started for the door.

Reno and Lilie both gave a leap as they turned and hurried down the hall. They did not want to get caught. They hurried down the hall to where the elevator was, where Tseng was waiting. "Where did you two go? You're suppose to stay with me." He said a little seriously. Lilie bowed her head, not wanting him to see the strange look in her eyes. "S-Sorry, Tseng. Uh...I just needed to tie my shoe that's all and Reno was waiting for me." She lied. Tseng bought the lie. He only nodded as he led them onto the elevator. "Well, next time warn me."

The two nodded as they stepped onto the elevator with him and they went up. Lilie stood in the corner looking out the window. She had never seen such violence before from a father to his son and she did not want to see again. She pitied Rufus Shinra for what happened to him. Reno seemed to guess as much. He only gently touched her arm, giving it a comforting squeeze before they stepped off the elevator with Tseng.

"We better not tell anyone about that." He then whispered. Lilie looked at him questionably. The red head only shook his head. "I've talked to Rufus a couple of times now. I've known about his condition with his pops. He doesn't want anyone to know that the Prez smacks him around. You'll only make him mad if you told anyone. And believe me. A mad Rufus Shinra is not what you want." He warned. Lilie nodded and they went back to their training. Her mind was still on Rufus Shinra. Only one question in her mind, how could anyone live with abuse?


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter 3:

Lilie eventually got to meet Rufus Shinra again. Of course, she would have preferred meeting him in a better way than she already did. Of course, their first meeting wasn't exactly the best. But the second was going to be worst.  
She was running an errand for Tseng by delivering a message to the President. She still hadn't forgotten what she had seen the man do to his son, and she didn't know if she could ever forget it. She and Reno had their talks about the whole thing while they were training together. Reno explained to her about how he knew Rufus.

"Well, I tried to play a prank on the second head of the Security, Heidigger and he kind of walked in on me while doing it. He thought it was kind of funny though. He didn't tell anyone that it was me who put a farting machine under his chair." Reno then laughed. "It was so hilarious while the machine kept going off during a meeting with President Shinra. After the hundredth time the farting machine went off, everyone was trying not to crack up or look disgusted." Lilie laughed just as hard as Reno did as they trained until everyone was staring at them.

As for the second meeting with Rufus, Lilie was hurrying up the stairs to go to the President's office. She didn't even notice that Rufus was running down the stairs.

They didn't notice each other until they were right in front of each other. However, none of them could stop the collision. Lilie gasped as soon as he hit her. Even worst, they lost their balance on the stairs and went rolling down the stairs. Both of them rolled over each other, hitting each step hard.

"Ow!" The both of them cried out as they hit the last step.

Rufus landed onto of Lilie as soon as they stopped rolling. "Ouch." He muttered as he rolled off of her. He slapped a hand over his side, groaning with pain. Several people who had watched them fall down the stairs hurried over to see if they were okay. "Young Shinra?! Are you all right, sir?! Miss?!! Are you okay?!"

None of the two paid attention to them. They only climbed to their feet, groaning. "Gawds! What are you trying to do?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Rufus exclaimed as he bent over, clutching his side. Lilie turned a glare onto him as she held her wrist. It was hurting really bad.

"Aw, man! That hurt! My wrist! I think it's sprained!" She gasped as she held it tightly. "Man, this is not good."

Rufus Shinra glared at her as he held his bruised side. "Hey! How dare you ignore me!" He snapped. Lilie looked at him with a glare in her eyes. "Hey! Cool it, Prince! You don't do very much training as I do! Reno and I were going to go to the field with Tseng today and now I can't! So shut up!" She snapped.

The employees around them all looked at the girl with shock. They couldn't believe that she was talking to the President's son like that. Rufus looked just as shocked but also angry. "What?! How dare you speak to me like that?! I am Rufus Shinra! The FUTURE President of Shinra Inc.!" He yelled at her.

Lilie gave a small hiss of pain as she tried to move her hand but it ended in a cry. "Ow!" She then shook her head as she glared at him. "Look, blondie! I don't care if you are the King of the world! I am a girl and I am hurt really bad! The least you can do is stop yelling at me!"

Rufus glared even harder at her. "I want an apology right now!" He yelled.

Lilie sighed with frustration. "All right! I'm sorry! Now shut up! I didn't mean to bruise the highness's precious body okay?!" She then looked around. "Oh no." She muttered.

Rufus was looking a little surprised that she would yell at him like that but now he was curious about why she was panicking. "What's wrong now?" He grumbled as he stood up straight.

Lilie was looking around frantically. "The message! I can't find it! Where is it?!" She quickly spun around, still clutching her wrist. Rufus then bent down and picked something up. It was some kind of paper and it looked important.

"Tseng's going to kill me if I don't find it." Lilie said sounding very upset. Rufus smirked as he held it up. "Do you mean this message?"

Lilie turned to him to see what he meant before gasping. "That's it! Thanks, Rufus." She said reaching for the paper. The President's son only slyly smiled as he stepped back away from her. "Hey! Come on. I need to take that to President Shinra. Give it back, please."

Rufus only smirked as he folded the paper. "You want it? Come and get it!" He said before he turned and ran as fast as he could out of the room. Lilie gasped as she watched him. "Hey! Give that back right now! I'm going to get into serious trouble!" She yelled after him. But he ignored her and kept running. Gritting her teeth, Lilie ran after him.

"...and the Mako reactor's percentage has dropped to 80. There maybe a leak in the Gongonga Mako Reactor, Professor. I think it would be wise if we sent someone over..." Dr. Moy was saying to Hojo.

That is until the door burst open and in raced Rufus Shinra with Lilie right behind him. "Give it back, Rufus! Give it back right now!" She yelled as she ran after him. Everyone in the lab stopped at what they were doing just to watch their boss's son rush around a desk and wait there until Lilie ran around it. Then he was off again. The two of them were out of the labs again, making a few scientists jump back or drop a few things. "Lilie?!" Dr. Bella called after her daughter but didn't get an answer. Hojo just shook his head with a look on his face. "Kids today. They don't know how to stay out of things they shouldn't. Now, Doctor. What were you saying?"

The Head of Urban Building, Dallas Reeve, was in the faculty break room where he was working on sketches for an invention he was going to build. So far he had drawn a Toyasaurus of a fat moogle. He thought it needed something else but he wasn't exactly sure. This wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.

He was just sipping a fresh cup of hot coffee while looking the drawing over. His face srunched up as he tasted the bitterness of the coffee. "Ack. Decaf? I thought I told her not to do decaf." He grumbled.

Suddenly the door slammed open making him jump into the air, throwing his coffee up into the air. Rufus and Lilie had ran into the room still screaming and hollaring at one another as they chased one another. "I"m going to pound you into nothing, Rufus Shinra! I swear I will!" The young junior Turk trainee screamed as she chased him right back out. As fast as they came, they were gone. And poor Reeve got a lapful of hot coffee and a coffee soaked drawing. "AAHHHH!!" He cried out in pain as he tried his best to wipe the hot coffee off his lap.

Colonol Heidigger, the second head of Shinra's Army, was walking through the hall, looking over reports on the soldiers. He was nodding in satisfation as he read. He only looked up when he noticed someone walk up to him.

"Good morning, Heidigger. How are you today?" Sephiroth asked as he stepped up to the large man's side.

The large man only looked up at him, giving him a grin. "Good morning, Sephiroth! I'm fine! Gyha!, ha ha ha ha! How are the troops? Are they doing their duties like they should?" He asked a tinge of seriousness in his tone. Sephiroth only nodded. "The troops are doing good, sir. Most of them are ready to go on their first missions. I've also been keeping my eye on a few of the younger cadets. There's a few I'm very happy with." He said. Heidigger nodded. "Great! Gyha, ha, ha, ha!" He said.

However, Sephiroth wasn't looking at him anymore. He had heard something coming their way and it was no doubt trouble. He didn't have to look to see who the two were because he had heard Lilie yelling out threats to Rufus. The silver haired General, however, quickly grabbed Heidigger and roughly pulled him out of the way before Rufus ran into him.

"Ha! Ha! You can't catch me!" Rufus laughed as he rushed right past them. Lilie screamed with rage as she chased after him. "Gods, Rufus! If you don't give me that message back right now, I swear I'm going to make sure you never become the next President of Shinra Inc.! I really mean it, you double crossing, son of a...!"

"Lilie?"

She halted in her footsteps and looked up to see Sephiroth standing there, with a frown on his face. Her face flushed bright red as soon as she saw him. "Ah...hi, Sephiroth! Bye, Sephiroth!" She then raced after Rufus, screaming threats about how he embarrassed the hell out of her in front of Sephiroth. Sephiroth and Heidigger only looked at one another with raised eyebrows.

"Rufus! Give me back that damn message right now!" Lilie screamed after the young Shinra as they rushed up some stairs now. None of them noticed that Tseng was standing with a few of the other Junior Turks, talking to them about their training. As soon as they heard the yelling, they all looked to see what it was. Reno grinned when he noticed that Lilie was chasing Rufus. He even threw his fist up into the air. "Get him, Lil! Come on! Run faster!" He yelled after them. He earned a look from Tseng, who was definitely not amused of what was going on. "Reno! That is not helping!" He said before hurrying after Lilie and Rufus. The other Junior Turks only shook their heads in a disapproving way.

"Oh, she is so busted."

"No kidding. I won't be surprised if she is expelled from Turk training."

One of the others nodded. "Yeah. It's probably for the best. She's too young to be a Turk."

Reno turned a glare onto the others. "Shut up, you dorks! She's got a better chance than you freaks! You're just jealous because she's the youngest cadet who might just become a Turk!" He snapped. The others gave him a look but didn't say anything. They knew it wasn't smart to piss Reno off anymore than he was now.

Finally, Lilie was madder than ever. She had been chasing this blonde haired brat from the top levels to the lower and then back up. She was getting fed up of having to chase him everywhere just to get that message back. So, once they reached a five step staircase, she lunged at his back, her arms wrapping around his waist as soon as she hit him. The two of them went sailing down the stairs.

"Ow! Lilie! We've already fallen down stairs!" Rufus complained loudly.

Lilie didn't listen to him as she began to wrestle with him for the paper. "Give it back, Rufus! Or I'm going to do more than just knock you down some stairs! I'm going to throw you off the Shinra Headquarters and make it look like an accident!" She screamed at him. None of them were aware that there were several wide eyed Shinra employees watching them, along with President Shinra.

The two young teens only rolled around on the floor, trying to get the paper right out of each other's hands. "I caught you, Rufus! So give it back!"

"No way! You didn't catch me! You tried to kill me!" He yelled back.

They were now having a tug a war with the paper, trying not to rip it, unfortunately they failed. It ripped right down the middle. Lilie gasped as she held up one half of the message. "Oh god! He is so going to kill me!" She glared at Rufus. "That's it! You are so dead, Rufus Shinra! I'm going to kill you!" She yelled, now proceeding to throttle the young Shinra.

Rufus just tried to shove her off. "Hey! Knock it off! You've messed up my hair!"

"Hem, hem." Some cleared their throat and loudly. It was loud enough to catch the fighting teens's attention. Lilie stopped trying to choke the life out of Rufus while he stopped trying to shove her off of him. Both of them looked up to see what kind of audience they had gathered. And to their grief, everyone was there.

Tseng was standing over them, his arms folded across his chest as he looked down at the two with a glare on Lilie. Behind him was a few unhappy looking men. One was soaked in hot coffee, three others were her parents and Professor Hojo, who were also glaring. Others were annoyed looking employees who they had bumped into, knocking papers out of their arms, sending them everywhere. The President of Shinra Inc. was looking down at them with a raised eyebrow. But it was clear he wasn't happy at all. The only one smiling was Sephiroth. He seemed to find this very amusing. He was just watching the two with great interest while everyone else just stared wide eyed or glared at the two. Slowly, Lilie and Rufus looked at one another before quickly letting go of one another and standing up. "Uh...s-sorry." She stammered while he just tried to fix his cloths and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Lilie Moy, I am so disappointed in you." Tseng said as soon as he got through listening to the complaints by the scientists, annoyed employees and even listened to the two heads talk about how they were nearly trampled or burned by hot coffee.

Lilie just lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. She knew she was in trouble. She was in trouble in many ways. One, she failed to give the message to President Shinra. Two, she had nearly wrecked six floors of the Headquarters while chasing Rufus Shinra. And three, she had threatened the spoiled brat's life right in front of his father and her mentor. There was no way she was getting out of this in a positive way.

"Lilie, what do you have to say for yourself?" Her father then spoke up, giving her a lecturing look.

Lilie didn't even look up at him. But Rufus did. "Tseng, it was my fault. I was teasing her by taking away that message and making her chase me." He said, holding up the ripped message.

The young girl only winced as soon as she saw the ruined paper. Tseng only raised an eyebrow before taking it from Rufus. He looked the message over before giving Lilie a look. "Is this the memo I asked you to give to the President?" He asked. Lilie nodded as she looked down at her shoes. "Yes, sir."

Tseng sighed with frustration as he set it aside. "Lilie, I take that back. I am very disappointed. I understand why you chased Rufus Shinra around but you shouldn't have been running around the entire place. There are a few papers and important documents that have been ruined. The employees will now have to restore them. They are not happy, Lilie. And niether is the President. You both had made a complete fool of yourselves and of the company." He said to both of the two young teens. "Now, there will be a punishment for your foolish actions. You must be disiplined, Lilie, if you want to a join the Turks. Do you understand?" He asked.

Lilie slowly nodded. "Yes, sir."

Dr. Moy then stepped forward. "Tseng, I do have something to ask. Are you going to take Lilie off the Turk training courses?"

Tseng only glanced at him then back at Lilie with a grave look. "Originally, I would." Lilie looked a little pained at that. "However, she has too much potentional for a Turk trainee. Lilie, I'm only going to give you one more chance, all right? Don't you fight like that again or go around causing havoc, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Tseng nodded as he sat up straighter. "Now then," He looked at Rufus. "Rufus, I know I'm not in charge of you whatsoever but I will be frank. You really have disappointed me as well. That message that you took from Lilie was very important for your father to see. We are only lucky that it's still readable."

Rufus didn't lower his head at all. He just stood tall, looking a little too proud. He wasn't going to take this like a weeping willow like Lilie was acting. "Now, forgive me for saying this, Rufus, Mr. President, but you acted like a child and you are old enough to be responcible for your actions. I know some of the employees have been treating you like a child and you don't like it, but the reason why they are doing it is because you are acting like one." Tseng said in a very serious tone. He then looked at President Shinra, who was still glaring at his son. "Mr. President, is there anything you would like to add to that?"

The President shook his head as he took his cigar out of his mouth and held it. "No, Tseng. You just spoke my words." He then looked at Rufus. "Rufus, Tseng is right. You have made a complete fool out of yourself and for that, you will be punished just like this young lady. I will come up with something but right now, you will go back to the house, to your mother and stay with her until I get done with my business here. Do you understand, boy?!"

Lilie made a side glance at Rufus and saw the look on his face. His eyes had gone a little hard as he looked at his father and he looked very forlorn. The young Turk trainee knew that the punishment that would be coming for him wasn't going to be as nice as her's would be. She just had that feeling. And she really pitied him.

"Before we end this, I do have something to say." Sephiroth spoke up finally. Everyone looked at him. The General wasn't looking very happy at all. He did not think that lecturing these two like they were getting was fair.

"Sephiroth." Hojo said in what seemed to be a warning.

Sephiroth only ignored him as he stepped forward. "If I may, but as you may see, Lilie and Rufus are both still young. They might be at the age where they need to be more responcible but they are children. They need a chance to play around once in awhile. Yes, playing around in a building like this is wrong but still they are only kids. We shouldn't be angry with them. Annoyed, maybe. But children make mistakes and they learn by it. And the only way to let Lilie and Rufus learn by it is if we help them, not punish them for their mistakes." He told them.

There was a long silence before Reeve cracked a smile and nodded. "Sephiroth is right. We shouldn't be too hard on them. After all they are only children."

Lilie lift her head up a little higher when she noticed that Tseng's stern frown softened and he nodded. "I suppose you're right." He then looked at Lilie. "I will let you off with a warning this time but do not do it again. Like I said. I'm only giving you another chance of not messing it up. I don't want to have to punish you, Lilie, but I will. You will be expelled from the Turk Training courses if you do this sort of thing again." He told her.

Lilie nodded as she lift her head a little higher. "I understand, sir. And I'm sorry that I failed to give that message to the President."

Tseng gave a low sigh and shook his head. "Lilie, you didn't fail. As Sephiroth just said, you are still learning. Don't be too hard on yourself. Now, why don't you run along back to your training. I'm pretty sure that Reno is waiting on you." He said giving her a gentle smile. Lilie returned it with a faint smile before turning and hurrying out.

She hurried over to the elevators, trying to calm herself down. She came way too close to being expelled. She knew that she could not afford to make a mistake like she did again.

As she went, she heard her father calling after her but she ignored him. She only stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button to go up. The doors closed between her and her father and the elevator began going down. Lilie sighed as she leaned against the wall and looked out the window.

'It's all Rufus's fault.' She thought bitterly. 'If he would have just given me the message back this wouldn't have happened.' She then angrily punched the wall. "Stupid Rufus!" She snapped. She jumped at hearing her own voice. With a sigh, she shook her head and leaned against the wall again. "Lilie, cool it. You've got to keep calm. Blowing up on that idiot would not help.

Just then the doors opened and there stood Rufus. It surprised her to see him on this level already but with a frown, she turned away and glared out the window towards the slums.

"Oh come on. You're not still mad at me about what happened, are you?" Rufus asked as he stepped onto the elevator. Lilie didn't answer as she continued to glare at him. "We got off easy so don't be a boob."

She finally looked at him with a dark look. "Easy? Easy?! You call that easy?! For god's sake, Rufus! That was not easy! You got off easier than I did! I'm a Turk trainee! Tseng is in charge of my training! He could easily take it away! Because of you, I might never get to be a Turk! Thank you very much, you jerk!" She snapped. Rufus only laughed harshly at her. "You still want to be a Turk, huh? I don't see you as a Turk. There's no way."

Lilie turned a glare onto him. "Why not?"

Rufus lazily shrugged. "I just don't. I see you as my future secetary." He then got a distant look on his face. "Oh yeah. I can see it now. You'll be sitting at desk outside my office, typing my letters, file documents when I tell you. Just do whatever I tell you." He said with a laugh.

Lilie gritted her teeth and balled up her fists as the doors slid open and she stepped off. "I would never do anything for you, you big meanie! You are such a freak, Rufus! The day I become your secetary, will be the day I die! So shove off, and go...go...count how many toys you have, you spoiled brat!" She snapped before she turned around and stomped away.

Rufus only laughed after her but it was clear that he was forcing it. He was no doubt angry at what she said. "Fine! Maybe I will go count my toys or whatever! But you can live in the slums like a commoner you are!" He shot after her.  
Lilie only turned around and gave him the finger before stomping around the corner.

The war between them was only going to get more interesting. It was not going to end very soon.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter 4:**

Lilie was still angry for the next few days. It was no doubt that she was. She refused to talk to anyone other than Reno. Her parents were worried about her and when they tried to talk to her, she wouldn't respond. She refused to even speak to Rufus, when he tried to taunt her a few times. She would just give him the dirtiest look she could manage then stomp away.

However, he found a new way of bothering her. And that was to go watch her train with the other trainees. The others didn't care that he was there. It was because they hoped that he would bother her so much that she would quit Turk Training. He stopped bothering her though while she trained when the other trainees started to join in of bothering her. Reno had even told the others if they continued to accost her like this, he would personally see to it that they would end up lying in a hospital bed for a month. Rufus, obviously, thought the red head meant him too. So he just stood and watched.

"You know, Lil. I think he likes you." Reno said as he blocked a kick from Lilie, who pulled a face. "Oh gawds, Reno. Gag me why don't you? He doesn't like me and if he did, he's wasting his time. Because I hate him!" She said as she threw her fist at his head. Reno ducked under her fist with a short laugh. "That's denying it, Lilie. He can't be that bad!" He had to duck from her vicious kick towards the head.

"Reno! Shut up! I do not like him!" She said angrily.

The red head only laughed as he continued to spare with her.

Every day for the next ten months it was almost like that. Rufus would show up and watch Lilie train with Reno and the red head would crack a joke about it, earning a very rough treatment from his young friend. Everyone thought it was funny how she would beat the living shit out of Reno for teasing her. Then a new arrival came.

An official Junior Turk.

He was in his late teens there was no doubt about that. And by what Tseng had told them, he was going to help with the training. His name was Rude P. Traverse.

The very first time Lilie and Reno ever looked at Rude, they didn't know what to think of the guy. He was a rather tall, much taller than the both of them, and he was dark skinned. Lilie had never seen a dark skinned person before. Sure she had seen people with dark tans but someone with dark skin like Rude, she had never seen someone like him. He quite a silent person too. He hardly ever spoke to anyone. Including Tseng. He would only talk when he was giving some of the students some advice.

The thing was, he seemed very taken with Reno. When the red head and Lilie was training, he was always watching them. His eyes were always on them when they paused in their training and looked over at him. He didn't even hide the fact that he was watching them. He just acted like he was observing their training techniques. And Lilie was the only one outside from everyone else that he complimented on. Reno didn't seem to care that what he got was only lectures about the way he was fighting. He knew as well as Lilie did that Rude was only doing it to throw the others off. They both knew that when Rude said, "You're kicks are so stiff and straight. You kick like a donkey" he meant to say, "Wow. Good work".

And the reason why he was complimenting on Lilie was because of how the other Turk trainees were treating her. He didn't think it was fair to her at all when she was just a little girl who was trying to follow her dreams.

The three seemed to be getting along a lot better than anyone else. Everyone else envied Reno and Lilie because they were making friends with a Junior Turk and the youngest trainee seemed to be making friends out of their future boss as well.

Several times, Sephiroth would just show up and watch the trainees. Everyone would then kick into a full speed motion, trying their best to impress him. But he didn't seem a bit interested. Sure, he had complimented on how their training was progressing but he would also say they need to be a much better hard worker if they wanted to be a Turk. Not exactly the answer they wanted to hear. Lilie, on the other hand, seemed to catch his interest very well. He would smile and give her a nod of approval.

It was only then did the jealousy of the other Turk trainees decided to flare up. And not one person had guessed they would do something so stupid.

It was about ten to eleven months into Lilie's training and she was progressing very well. She was getting much stronger and faster. She was a lot graceful with her Psis too. She proved to be the most graceful when it came to moving around with her weapons. She was learning very fast and it really did make the other trainees jealous. They would watch Lilie with distaste while she trained with Reno and recieved a few good remarks from Tseng. She was doing very well in her studies as well. It was enough to drive the other trainees insane.

"Good punch, Lilie." Tseng said one day as he watched Lilie and Reno spar. Lilie only smiled as she ducked under Reno's swinging leg. She quickly spun in a circle and punched the red head in the side, making him back away to catch his breath real quick then he charged again. "Very good, Lilie. You're getting better and better. By the time you're 13, you might be a Junior Turk." Tseng said with a smile.

Lilie looked very pleased with herself. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She really hoped that she could become a Turk. It was her dream and nothing could change that.

As soon as they were done training, Reno grinned at Lilie. "Man, Lil. You are getting good. By the time you're done with Turk Training, you're going to be better than me." He said. Lilie shook her head with a smile. "Nah. There's no way I can be better than you. This is only my first year." She said. Reno smirked at her. "Yeah, so what? First year or not. You'll be able to kick Sephiroth's butt by the end of the year. I'm surprised that this is your first year."

Rude walked up, faintly smiling. "So am I. I'm impressed." He said quietly.

Lilie beamed again towards him. "Thanks, Rude. I'm just a fast learner that's all. All of the moves I've learned are either from classes or they're things that Reno's taught me. He's going to be a Turk in no time." She said. Reno grinned. "Hey, hey. You can't give me that much credit, kiddo." He said slinging his arm around Lilie's neck and they started to leave the training center. "Hey, we should hang out after classes. You ever been to the Slums before?"

Lilie shook her head. "Dad told me that it's very dangerous to go down there. I'm not allowed."

Rude nodded as he looked down at her. "Some of them are dangerous."

Reno shrugged. "Yeah. But it just depends on what Slums you go to. There's this old park right between Sectors Six and Seven that me and my friends hang out at. Want to come?" Lilie smiled at him. "Sure! I'd love to come! But I have to ask my dad first. You know how he is." She said. Reno only nodded. He did know how Dr. Moy was. And he was the only scientist he actually respected in the whole place. Usually Reno would have stuck up his nose at the fact that someone had to get permission but he didn't mind whatsoever with The Moys.

"Oh, you have to get permission from your daddy like a little baby." One of the other Turk Trainees sneered.

All three, Lilie, Reno and Rude glared at McCauley. The young girl looked offended. "What?!" She demanded.

The other Turk Trainees all sniggered as McCauley teased the young red haired girl. "You heard what I said. You're a little baby girl, you know that. You have to get permission from Daddy." He said. Lilie started forward to punch the bigger boy but Reno caught her. "Lil, don't. Remember what Tseng said about fighting?" He warned her. Lilie just continued to glare at McCauley as she let Reno lead her towards the doors.

"That's right, Reno. Defend the baby. You're the new Great Baby Defender." Everyone else laughed.

Reno jerked around on his heel and gave McCauley a very icy look. "McCauley, if you're smart, which you're not, you'd shut that big cake hole of yours or I'm going to shove my electro rod so far up your fat ass that it's going to shoot up out of your mouth!" He spat.

McCauley sneered. "What, afraid it's true? Because it is! I bet she's even afraid to go to Wall Street." He said haughtily. Lilie narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not! I'll go there right now to prove it!" She snapped.

Reno now looked uneasy. He knew that was a very bad idea. But the other Turks looked like this was exactly what they wanted to hear. "Good! Prove that you're not afraid! And to prove that you went, go to the HoneyBee Inn and get a card from them. And you have to go. Not have someone else do it." Brodrick sneered. Lilie glared at him. "Fine! I will!" She turned and stomped away. Reno and Rude both glanced at one another before they rushed after her.

"Lilie! Wait!" The nearly 16 year old Turk Trainee called after her. Lilie wasn't listening though. She was so angry about how the others were treating her. "Call me a baby, I'll show them!" She muttered angrily.

Reno grabbed her arm and stopped her from going anywhere. "Lilie! You don't have to do this! Wall Street is really dangerous place. You can't go there. Even I don't go there" He said. Lilie pulled away from him. "What, you think I can't do it either? I'm so tired of being treated like a child. I know I'm the youngest cadet but I am not helpless!" She said angrily. Reno frowned at her. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying that it's too dangerous. So many kids have gone to Wall Street and they were either beaten to a pulp or they were raped. You can't go there." He said. Lilie sighed with frustration. "Reno, I have to prove to them that I'm Turk material."

"You can prove it by becoming a Turk, Lilie. But not like that. Putting yourself in danger like this is very stupid." Rude said calmly. Lilie looked away. "But what can I do? Everyone will make fun of me if I don't go. They won't stop and I'll end up losing my temper on them and get into trouble if I do something against them. You know that it's true, Reno." She said. Reno groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.

After a minute, he nodded. "All right, Lil. Me and my friends will take you to Wall Street. We have a better chance of not being bothered when we're together." He looked at Rude. "You going to come with?"

The silent Turk only peered at him through his sunglasses before he nodded. "I would think it wise if I did. You are practically my students and I can't let you endanger yourselves." He said. Lilie nodded. "Okay.

Reno slowly agreed. "Sounds good to me. That would give us an even better chance." He said. Rude nodded. "So when do you want to go?" He asked. Reno glanced down at his watch then back at Lilie. "We're done with classes and training. So we can go now. My friends will be meeting us at the park." He said. The other two nodded and they turned to leave.

Very unaware that someone had heard their entire conversation.

* * *

The three left the Headquarters, all equipped with their weapons. They figured that if they were attacked by slum rats, they would need to fight back. This was actually the very first time Lilie had ever been in the Slums before. She had always expected that the Slums were just as nice as the upper city, but it wasn't. It was much worst. There was garbage every where and rubble of concrete.

"Are all of the slums like this?" Lilie asked with concern.

Reno shook his head as he glanced around. "No. Some of them the people down here take really good care of the garbage, making sure the Slums stay clean. Others, well, they like being dirty." He then pointed. "Come on. The park is up ahead." He told them, taking the lead. Lilie stayed right behind him while Rude was behind her.

They came to a very small park where there were four older guys waiting. Once the three approached, they looked over at them. The four guys were older teenagers. It was a wonder why they hung out with Reno, since he was much younger than they were.

"Hey, Reno. It's about god damn time. Who's the chick and black guy?" One asked.

Reno gave that one a look before stopping in front of his friends and motioning to Lilie and Rude. "These are some friends, guys. We're training together in Turks. This is Lilie, a Turk Trainee with me and Rude. He's already a Junior Turk. Lil's that girl I told you guys about. The one that I've been helping out." He told them.

Each one of the guys glanced at one another then nodded their greetings. "Nice to meet ya, kiddo." One said. Another just looked at Reno. "Reno, not to complain or anything, but what the hell are they doing here? They can't hang out with us." He said. Lilie frowned deeply at that one and Rude just remained quiet. Reno glared at his taller friend. He even stepped up closer to that one and had a face off with him. "I'll say who hangs out with us or not, got that, Brag?!" He snapped. The older teen glared right back at him but another grabbed that one and pulled him back. "Shut your mouth, Brag. We all know that Reno could kick your ass from here to the Pizza plate upstairs!" He said. The young man, Brag, just glowered but said nothing.

"Reno, Brag kind of has a point. What they doing here? I thought we were going to..." The third started to say.

The red head Trainee shook his head. "Change of plans, guys. We're not painting the wall today. We've got something else to do." He then explained to what happened that day and the four others just looked at Lilie. "How old is she, anyway? Ain't she a little young to be a Turk Trainee?" Brag asked.

Lilie glared at him. "I might be young but I still can kick your ass, dude." She said. Reno and the others all laughed while Brag's face nearly glowed red from rage.

"Damn, Reno. Too bad she's a girl, otherwise she's free to join the gang." The young man, Mega, said. Reno smirked as he wrapped an arm around Lilie's shoulders. "She can join the gang. I say so. So can Rude. They're cool. And I'm helping her out show those other blockheads that she's not afraid to go into Wall Street. Maybe if she does that, they'll leave her the hell alone." He said. The four young men nodded. "Are you sure that's smart taking her in there, though, Reno? Cause you know how it's like in that place. It's way out of her league. And if she gets caught by one of those sick bastards..." Neeko was saying.

Reno shook his head. "Even if she gets caught, she still can kick their ass. She's not a bad fighter, guys. And I've been teaching her some moves. Plus, that's why I'm sticking around her. I'm not going to let those freaks touch her. And neither is Rude. Ya in or out? I hope your in because I promised her that you would help."

The four friends all pulled faces but then they nodded. "All right. We're in. Those freaks come even ten feet of her, we'll pound their ass. Any friend of yours, is a friend of ours." Mega said. Brag just pulled a face. "Not mind." He muttered but no one paid him any attention.

The group walked up the path right into Wall Street and Lilie was almost sorry that she ever agreed to this. Because Wall Street was packed with men, all chatting away with gorgeous women, wearing the most skimpiest clothing she had ever seen.

The young girl moved a little closer to Reno, looking very nervous. The four young men were walking around the two, along with Rude but she was still very exposed to the crowd. She could already see a few people looking at her, sneers on their faces. And it scared her. She pressed a little closer to her older friend, now clutching onto his arm.

Reno glanced down at her. "Lil, don't be a wuss. They're not going to touch you. I promise." he told her.

Lilie nodded and she gave him a little more room, almost muttering an apology but she remembered that Reno didn't like being apologized to.

The seven walked through the crowd, making sure that they stuck close together and keeping older men from trying to walk through their group. A few already tried to and they ended up getting shoved away. "Watch where the hell you're going, old man!" Neeko snapped as he shoved the man away from their group. The man just flipped him the bird and stormed away.

The group of seven stepped to a more open spot and stood there. "Reno, this is a bad idea. A real bad idea. They're staring at your little girlfriend and that's not a good thing." Mega said.

Reno glared at a few men watching them, pulling out his electro rod. He tapped his shoulder with it a few times, trying to give them the hint that if they tried anything, they would get it in the face. "I know it's not a good idea, Meg. But Lilie has to get that card or those freaks will keep on her back."

Brag folded his arms. "If she can kick anyone's ass, why don't she beat them up?"

Reno gave him a look. "Because if she does, she'll get in trouble. She's already had a warning for fighting Shinra's kid, Rufus Shinra." He then turned to Lilie. "Lil, are you sure you want to do this? Because you don't have to. We can go do something else."

Lilie shook her head. "No. It's okay. I want to do this." She said softly.

The red haired Turk Trainee nodded. "All right. If you're really sure. Because once we pass this gate, here, there's no turning back." He said. Lilie only nodded. "I'm sure." She said. Reno looked up at his older friends, who glanced at one another and then nodded. They all started through the crowd, doing their best to stay close to one another as they made their way towards the Inn. They knew that people were watching them but they weren't aware that they were being followed.

They finally found out where the HoneyBee Inn was. It was a large building with lights everywhere. There was a long line of men lined up to go inside. Some were doing some things that made Lilie blush hot red. Even Reno looked uneasy and Rude looked away.

"Okay. This is not a good idea at all. Let's get the card and get out of here."

Lilie nodded. "Okay. So what are we going to do? Do we just walk up to the front and ask for the card?" She asked. Reno nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that. You guys, I'll take here up there. YOu just watch our backs." He said. The gang of guys nodded.

Both Reno and Lilie held hands as they pushed their way towards the front, ignoring the jeers they were getting. They finally reached the front, finding theirselves in front of a large man. The man gave them both a look but then grinned sickly at Lilie. "Oooh. Talking about cutie! A little young, but some guys like 'em young." How much you selling her for kid?" He asked. Reno and Lilie looked at one each other before glaring at him in disgust.

"She ain't for sell, dude! We just want to ask for a calling card." Reno said.

The man snorted. "Kid, I don't have time for jokes. How much for her? 100,000? 150,000, what?"

Lilie saw Reno's snap open wide. Her eyes even widened at the sound of all that money. "You'd buy a little girl for that much money just for her to be a sex toy to stupid horney dudes?" Reno asked with surprise. The man nodded rolling his eyes. "Yeah. They pay a lot just to get a lot of girls. Wait till you hear how much we buy full grown women. It's so ridiculous." He said dully. Reno then glared at him. "She ain't for sell, asshole! And she's not staying here in this shithole! We just want a friggen calling card! Will you give us a card or not?!" He snapped.

The bouncer was now glaring at him. "Kid! If you're not here for business, then you're wasting our time! Get out of here!" He snapped. Lilie shook her head as she glared up at the man. "We're not going anywhere until we have a card!" She said bravely.

"You want a card?! Fine! Here!" He grabbed a card from inside his jacket and then threw it at her. Lilie quickly snatched it out of the air. "Now get the hell out of here! I've got customers trying to come in!" The Bouncer snapped.

"Thank you!" Reno snapped back. He turned with Lilie and they started away. "Asshole."

Lilie smiled. "Well, we got it. Let's get out of here." She said. Reno nodded as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. They could hear the bouncer now yelling something but it wasn't directed to them. He was talking to the men in line. "You know, those sappy $&#$ better be happy that we got that card, 'cause if they try to make you do something to prove yourself to them again, I'm going to kill every one of them!" Reno grumbled. Lilie giggled.

It was at that moment then did all the men around them start racing forward. Lilie gasped as she and Reno were now being pushed and shoved to the side and she was being pulled with the crowd.  
"Shit! Lilie! Take my hand!" Reno yelled as he reached for her.

Lilie tried to reach for his hand but she was pulled further away from him. "Reno! I can't reach you!" She screamed. Reno was now pushing and shoving to get to her bu he instantly lost sight of her. Rude and the four guys were pushing their way towards Reno, but were having a hard time.

Reno then got a good idea. It would stop the men from going towards the building and dragging Lilie towards it. So he punched a man hard in the face before turning to the others. "Guys! Mesh pit!" He yelled. The other five nodded and began helping him starting a huge fight. It worked.

Men were now throwing fists into others, just blooding each other up. Reno had to go a little low so he could try and find Lilie and stay out of the fight. "Lilie!" He winced as he got kneed by someone. He reacted by kicking the man hard in the legs and making him go down. "Asshole!" He snapped before going back to his search. "Lilie! Damn it, girl! Where are you?!"

"Reno!"

He turned to see Rude shoving a man off of him. "Where's Lilie?!" The Jr. Turk yelled. Reno shook his head. "I don't know! I lost her in the crowd!" He had to shove another man off of him.

"Reno! Help!"

Reno jerked around towards the building and spotted Lilie fighting against the crowd from going inside. She was being dragged through the doors, yet she was trying to hold onto the wall as men shoved past her. "Reno!"

"Lilie! Hold on! I'm coming! Just stay there!" Reno yelled and then he began shoving his way towards the building.

But it was too late. Lilie lost her grip on the door and was shoved inside. Reno swore loudly as he picked up his pace. But before he could go inside, the bouncers had to close the door to keep the Inn from getting over run. The young red haired trainee swore even louder and began trying to make his way towards the door. "Let me in, man! My friend is in there!" He yelled. The bouncer shook his head as he folded his powerful arms.

"Sorry, kid! No one else goes inside." Then he smirked at the young red head. "Asshole."

Reno glared even harder at the man. His fists clenched tightly before he launched himself forward to pummel this man's ass.

Inside, Lilie was terrorfied out of her wits. She had been seperated from Reno and Rude, in a very large room full of men and loud music. Adults were doing the most disgusting things with one another and she knew what kind of place this was. The girl had quickly went over to one of the walls and hid in a corner. She was trying to think of a plan of how to get out of there before some sick men saw her.

"Hey! Look what we have here boys!" Too late.

Lilie looked up to see three men standing over her and they were clearly drunk. She did not like that look on their faces. Feeling more afraid, she pressed herself against the wall. "Leave me alone." She whimpered.

The men all laughed at her. "Oh. Poor little girl. She's so scared. Maybe we should play with her to help her calm down." The first man said laughing. Lilie cowered even lower as they came closer. Her hands already on her Psis. "Stay away from me!" She said angrily. Again the men laughed before they rushed forward. Things happened very fast. As soon as the men had been close enough, Lilie jumped and slashed the nearest man with her Psis. The leader of the three. The man shrieked in pain and leaped back with his friends. They were looking wild eyed at the young girl, who stood in her fighting stance. Her eyes were blazing with fury as she just glared at them.

"When I said leave me alone, I mean it!" She spat.

The men all growled at her. The leader stepped back, holding his bloodied arm. "Boys, teach this little bitch a lesson. Then do her in big time then kill her!" He snapped. The other two men nodded and raced at Lilie. Something told Lilie to run but she wasn't going to. If these men wanted to mess with her, then she would show them that she was not just a little girl.

Unfortunately they were still much stronger than her. Before she could slash another one, she felt them grab a hold of her arms and slammed her into the wall. She cried out in pain as she hit her head against the side. It nearly made her pass out but she managed to stay awake. She could feel the men touching her arms and legs, just feeling her up. She felt like she was going to be sick. So she screamed. No one in the Inn seemed to hear her over the music though. They were too busy with theirselves and their partners.

Lilie felt hot tears filling her eyes as she thought quickly. She should have never done this. This had been so stupid. She should have listened to Reno and Rude. They had been right. She didn't have to do this to to gain respect. All she had to do was work harder to become a Turk. Now she could never do it.

She felt the men starting to run their fingers down towards her belt line and she started to fight even harder. But she was tiring quickly. She knew there was no hope.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion making everyone jump. Lilie had even cried out in fear and she looked towards the doors, which had been thrown open very hard. The doors even cracked at the impact in the walls. And there standing in the door way was Sephiroth. His eyes were practically glowing in the dark. Right behind him was Reno, Rude and Reno's four friends. Behind them, Lilie could see several men lying on the ground, groaning from pain. It looked like they had been pummeled big time.

It was Reno who spotted Lilie in trouble. His teeth clenched tightly as he started towards them. "Hey! Get away from her!" He didn't go far because Sephiroth grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. "Don't move, Reno. I'll take care of this." He said coldly.

"Sephiroth!" Lilie cried out.

The silver haired man slowly made his way towards the three men and Lilie, his eyes narrowing in the dark. The people around him quickly moved out of his way, looking very afraid. The bloodied man faced Sephiroth cutting his path short. The General turned his eerie green eyes onto that man, almost glaring at him to get out of his way.

"Excuse me! But this one is ours! She's going to pay dearly for what she did to me! You can't have her!" The man said darkly.

Sephiroth just continued to look at him before his lips curved up into a cold smirk.

Without any warning at all, he snatched out his Masamune and slashed the man's arm. Instead of a cut like Lilie had caused, the man's entire arm fell off. The man went into a screaming fit as he fell to the ground, clutching his bloody stump. Sephiroth then glared at the other two men, who quickly let Lilie go. She didn't move though. She was too afraid to.

"Lilie, come here."

Lilie shivered at the way Sephiroth had said that but she quickly did what she was told. She stood in front of him, not daring to look up into his eyes. She flinched a little when she heard his sword being placed back inside its scabbard and when Sephiroth put his hand on her shoulder but she relaxed when he did it gently. The Silver haired General turned and lead her towards the door.

Without another glance back, they were out into the night.

They were making their way back towards the park when Lilie tried to speak again. "Sephiroth, I..."

"You don't need to tell me what happened. I've seen what happened." Sephiroth said before looking down at her with a scowl. "And I must say that was very foolish of you, Lilie. You could have been killed." He said. Lilie lowered her head. She was ashamed of what she had done. She knew that Sephiroth wouldn't have approved of why she did it. And what was worst, she had gotten Reno involved with it. It was more than likely that he was in trouble too. And Rude. It was as if Sephiroth had read her mind because his grip on her shoulder softened even more. He stopped and bent down in front of her. She couldn't help but look up into his face.

"Lilie, I know why you did it too. I heard what the others said to you earlier today. I don't blame you for wanting to prove your worth but you shouldn't have listened to them in the first place." He then looked at Reno, who winced. "Reno, you're not in trouble. You only went along with it to keep Lilie safe. For that, you're off the hook. But right now, you better say goodbye to your friends. It's time to go back to Headquarters."

Reno nodded and looked at his four friends, who pulled faces. "I'll see you guys later. Sorry we couldn't really hang out." He said. Mega shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It was kind of fun kicking a bunch of horney dudes's ass. Let's do it again sometime." He said. Reno grinned and high fived each of his friends before they left.

Sephiroth stood up straight and lead them through the path way. "I'm still reporting to Tseng about this." He smirked when he heard all three, Lilie, Reno and Rude groan.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter 5:**

It was clear to Lilie that Tseng was not in a very happy mood the very next day when she went into H.Q. for training that day. She knew that Sephiroth had told him what had happened and why. Tseng had even gave her a scolding look as soon as she was through the doors but he didn't say a word as he went on to do whatever he was doing. Lilie only hoped that Sephiroth hadn't told her parents. But she wasn't sure because they hadn't said anything about it yet.

"Man, Tseng's pissed today, isn't he?" Reno asked as soon as he sat down next to Lilie when they went into the conference room. Tseng had called everyone there but he hadn't said anything about why. Lilie nodded as she folded her arms over the table.

"Hey, baby." She looked up at Brodrick, who was sneering with some of the others. "I guess you didn't do the dare. Just like..."

"Brodrick!" Tseng snapped as he entered the room. The spoke person jumped as he immediately closed his mouth. The Turk Leader gave his student a very cross look. "You will not speak while we are in this room! All of you will remain quiet!" He said in a warning tone. Everyone in the room glanced around at each other but Lilie just looked down into her lap. She and Reno both knew why Tseng was so mad today.

There was a very long silence before Sephiroth entered the room next and he closed the doors behind him. Lilie gave him a half glance but he didn't look at her at all. He had a very cross look on his face as Tseng did and she wasn't sure if it had to do with her.

After another silence, Tseng folded his arms behind his back and lift his chin higher into the air. "Everyone, eyes on me and listen very closely to what I have to say."

Everyone obeyed even Lilie, who had a little trouble doing it.

Tseng was pratically glaring around the room before he reached into his pocket and took something out. But he didn't show it to any of the students while he just looked around the room at everyone.

"I am very disappointed in all of you." Again, everyone glanced around at each other questionably before looking back at him. Tseng let out a deep breath before motioning to Sephiroth. "General Sephiroth has informed last night that one of our students have nearly been killed because of a very stupid dare. And if it wasn't for him, that student would have been raped and murdered." He paused as he watched some of the students quickly glance at one another before he narrowed his eyes. "You all know exactly who I'm talking about. I know that you have all been saying some really bad things about her and it will stop. Permantly!" He barked.

Some of the students had jumped at how he shouted like that.

"Well, guess what, ladies and gentlemen? Lilie has succeeded in getting what you wanted." Tseng said as held up what was in his hand. It was the calling card from HoneyBee Inn. "And to show for it, she's going to have nightmares for a while. Her father has told me that she was scared to death to go sleep last night."

It had been true. Lilie had stayed up half of the night afraid that the men that had attacked her that night would come after her. She could still feel their hands on her and she shuddered even to think about it. She was pretty sure that Tseng had seen it because his face darkened even more as he glared around the room.

"When I call your name, you will stand up and keep your mouth shut while I'm telling you what will be done with you." Tseng lift his head higher. "Moy, Lilie." Lilie winced a little at the way he had said that but she stood up anyway.

"Vegas, Reno." Reno did the same, a worried look on his face. He was just as worried as Lilie was.

"Traverse, Rude." Rude was already standing so he didn't have to stand anymore.

"Jenna." Tseng said and the spoken girl stood up. He said just a few more names and Lilie began to notice something. Tseng was only saying the names of the trainees that had not taunted her into going to Wall Street. She was confused of what was going on.

Finally, Tseng was done. There was only six Turk Trainees standing up. The others were sitting down. "Step away from the table everyone that I have said your name. Stand against the wall and keep quiet." Tseng said. They all did so. Tseng then looked at the others sitting down. "Now for the rest of you, stand up." They did. "All of you have been removed from the Turk Training." There was an outburst right there.

"What?!" McCauley and Brodrick both exclaimed while the others looked stunned.

Tseng's eyes narrowed and Sephiroth glared around. "Silence!" He barked. Immediately everyone shut up. They were not brave enough to cross Sephiroth anymore than he already was.

"Let me finish." Tseng said coldly. He looked around the room at the shocked and hurt looks on the other Trainees' faces. "You all know why you have been removed. You pressured a little girl into doing something very dangerous! You taunted her, made fun of her and even tried to humilate her just because she's the youngest Turk Trainee in Shinra history! And why?! Because you believed that she wouldn't make it!" The Turk Leader yelled. "Now that is for me to decide and not you. She is not my favorite student as I have heard some of you whisper. I do not favor students over one another. I favor you all the same. Unfortunately because of this situation, I am very angry at all of. Not just the ones who made Miss Moy make a drastic decision, but the ones who went to Wall Street just to impress you as well! Lilie Moy is working her ass off just like you are to be a Turk! And she nearly blew it the first time she fought with Rufus Shinra. And she nearly died the second time!"

Tseng looked around the room before lifting his head higher and he dropped the calling card onto the table. "Now I'm going to give you all a chance of redeeming yourself. You will tell me exactly why you did this and why Lilie shouldn't be a Turk Trainee like you. And don't give me this **'She's-too-young'** bull shit! What did she do to make you hate her?!"

There was a very long silence. No one could answer the question. They didn't know why they did it. They didn't have a good explaination. They knew that they had better keep their mouths shut or they might have said something even worst.

After a long minute, Tseng nodded as he folded his arms behind his back. "All right. Since no one has anything to say, you are all expelled from Turk Training. Pack up your things and get out. You are no longer Turk Trainees."

"But sir..."

Everyone looked at McCauley, who had been the one that spoke up. Tseng faced him, giving him a look that he granted him permission to speak. McCauley glanced over at Lilie, his eyes darkening a little but then he looked back at Tseng. "Tseng, we've all been working so hard to become Turks. We've been here for years, trying to accomplish what we've worked so hard for. And now this little brat comes along and screws it up for us. That's why we did it. We weren't expecting her to actually do it. If she was smart enough, she wouldn't have listened to us."

"McCauley! The reason why she did it is because she didn't want you making fun of her anymore! She was tired of you getting on her back all the time because of it!" Reno finally snapped.

Tseng shot Reno a look and he quickly shut his mouth. He murmured his apologies and kept quiet. The Turk Leader looked back at McCauley.

"Actually, Michael, you screwed yourself over from when you taunted Lilie into doing it. She is ten years old, nearly eleven and you are sixteen. You were doing just fine in your Turk Training. You were very close to becoming a Jr. Turk, actually. However, the Turks do not have room for people who would put their team mates in danger or taunt them into doing very stupid things. That is against Turk Standards. You are suppose to work together, help each other accomplish your tasks and get along with one another. I don't expect you to actually like one another but you will not be cruel to your team mates like you have been to Lilie. No matter how old she is. I will not pick Trainees who treat their classmates like shit! This meeting is going to end right now. And I have put my foot down! You will leave the Shinra Headquarter premises and you will not step foot back on the grounds. And you will do it without looking, talking or even going close to Lilie Moy. Do I make myself clear?!"

The Trainees all nodded slowly as they lowered their heads. "Yes, sir." They all murmured.

"And if you do want to say something to Lilie, it better only be an apology. It's up to her if she forgives you or not. Either way, none of you will ever be a Turk." Tseng finished.

No one spoke a word as they all began to file out. Tseng looked at the others standing against the walls. "As for the rest of you," His voice had softened this time. "You may go to your daily training." And so they were allowed to leave as well.

* * *

It had been days after that incident. Tseng hadn't said a word to Lilie and she was starting to feel a little better, yet feeling scared that he was probably making his decision in kicking her out too. But he still hadn't said anything. It was only then she felt much better when he finally did speak to her while she was training with Reno.

"Good job, Lilie. Keep up the good work." And she felt better.

The other Trainees were opening up to her now and they were being nicer to her than they had used to. Tseng seemed to be in a happier mood now that they were treating her better.

Of course, some moods could change pretty fast. Especially for Lilie. And it was all because of Rufus Shinra.

It had been nearly a month since the incident in Wall Street and Lilie had not had an encounter with him for that long. It was more than likely he had heard what happened to Lilie so he had kept his distance until she recovered. Then he went back to bothering her.

Lilie was working with Reno on her moves when she spotted the blonde in white standing off to the side, watching her. She frowned deeply and glared at him. Reno noticed and stopped from kicking at her. He turned around to see who she was looking at. Then he grinned. "Ah, it's your boyfriend." He yelped when Lilie punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"He is not my boyfriend and he never will be! Got that?!" Lilie said harshly before she began punching the air.

Reno rubbed his shoulder, giving her a look. "Man, you need to learn to take a joke." Lilie ignored him.

"So. I heard you went down to Wall Street." Her mood flared up even more before she turned around and glared at the smirk on Rufus Shinra's face. He had walked over while she was shadowboxing. And she knew that he had done it to get to her. "You know, that's not a very good place to go to. Especially for girls. You must love scary thrills."

"Shut up, Rufus!" Lilie snapped.

Rufus only smirked at her. "What, you're experience freak you out pretty bad? Not that I blame you. Though, why in the world would you want to go to that place in the first place?"

Reno frowned at him. "Rufus, let it go. That wasn't cool. I was there with her and it was bad." He said. Rufus only glanced at him before he turned away with a lazy shrug. "Sorry. Just wanted to make a friendly conversation."

Lilie caught sight of something on the back of his neck, hidden under his white collar. She instantly recognized it as a bruise. So she decided to push a little. She forced a smirk as she folded her arms. "So, where'd you get the bruise? Don't tell me the White Prince has fallen down the stairs again?" That touched a nerve in Rufus. He quickly turned back around, pulling the collar up a little more to hide the bruise. He glared at Lilie, who was ignoring the protests Reno was giving. She just looked right back at Rufus with a raised eyebrow. "It hurts to know that someone knows your deep and dark secret, doesn't it?"

Rufus glared even harder at her. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked roughly.

Lilie forced a laugh. "Ooh. Touché. Don't need to get so technical. Of course, I'm pretty sure that everyone knows what happens to you when you're bad." She then tossed her red pony tail over her shoulder. "Relax, buddy boy. I won't tell anyone. As long as you're a little nicer to me."

Rufus glared even harder at her. If looks could kill, she would be dead. "If you to tell anyone about what happens to me, I will make sure you never become a Turk, Moy!" He snapped.

Lilie gave him a look. "If you do that, I'll make sure the whole world knows about you. But until then, be nicer to me!" She then walked away from him.

Rufus just glared after her before he looked at Reno. "She wouldn't do that." He said. Reno blew out a sigh as he started to follow Lilie. "You'd be surprised, Rufus. I suggest you listen to her. She can be a bitch when she wants to be. Trust me on this." Rufus just watched Lilie walk away before he turned and left the room.

* * *

Rufus Shinra hardly ever bothered Lilie again after that. Sure, he had teased her now and then but she didn't seem to mind at all. She would snap back with her own comment and it hurt his pride a little. Their little war seemed to rage on for the next three years. And it was finally when Lilie was going to have her biggest test to becoming a Turk. And the last time she would ever see Sephiroth again.  
She was now 14 years old and she was getting ready to go on to her test. She was still very annoyed with Rufus Shinra. The problem was with their usually bickering and arguing, she hardly could find a good insult to throw at him. It always back fired onto her. But that was because, she was now finding him a little attractive.

Rufus Shinra was now 17 years old and he had grown into quite a fine, young man. At least his manners improved a little and he didn't bother her so much. But now and then he caught Lilie staring at him and it made him smirk and her blush. He sometimes even told her to do some filing and she gave him the most loathing look. He would just laugh and drop it.

Lilie's friendship with Sephiroth was just as strong as her friendship with Reno was. She talked to him all the time and he always gave her tips of how to be a better fighter. She thanked him by drawing pictures of him and giving them to him. He would smile at her and accept them with a nod.

When the big day for her Turk test had come, she was on her way to Tseng's office, since he would be taking her out to do her test. She found Sephiroth on the way, standing with a few SOLDIERs. He was talking to a tall and handsome man with spikey black hair. His hair ran down to his shoulders, ending with spikes and hung over his glowing blue eyes. It surprised Lilie to see how his eyes glowed just like Sephiroth's. He was wearing casual clothing, not like the other SOLDIERs. He was wearing dark pants and a dark blue turtle neck, sleeveless shirt. Shoulder armor pads were strapped to his shoulders and leaning against his side was a very big, bulky broadsword. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation with Sephiroth, though the General wasn't smiling. Until he saw Lilie walking towards him, he did smile.

"Good morning, Lilie."

The spikey black haired man turned to see who Sephiroth was talking to, and then he grinned. Lilie saw his eyes looking her over and she couldn't help but blush. "Morning, Sephiroth." She said happily as she stopped near them. She saw the other men looking at her too and her eyes landed on another young man, not much older than she was, standing with them.

That man looked very much like the one with Sephiroth. He had spikey blonde hair and he too had glowing blue eyes. He was wearing a Soldier outfit and there was a gun strapped to his back. He was quite handsome himself. Though Lilie couldn't understand how someone could have hair like his. Never had she ever seen hair defying gravity like his.

"So where are you off to?" Sephiroth's voice broke into her thoughts.

Lilie looked up at him and smiled. "I'm going to take my final test, Sephiroth. Tseng and I are going out to the field today." She told him.

Sephiroth smiled with a nod. "Ah, the final Turk Test. Well, I wish you luck. As I had said before, you have a lot of potentional for the career."

Lilie nodded before she glanced at the bags behind them. "Uh, Sephiroth, you going somewhere?" She asked. Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder at the bags before nodding. He turned his eerie green eyes back onto the young teen before him. "Yes. I have a mission to do in a small town called Nibelhiem. My team and I are going to investigate the Mako Reactor there. This will be some of these guys's first mission." He told her.

Lilie nodded with a smile. "Well, I wish you luck too. Hope you come back soon."

"Hey, Sephman. You going to introduce your hot young friend or what?" The black haired man asked.

Lilie really blushed at that remark and Sephiroth rolled his eyes. The silver haired General turned back to the man, glancing at the blonde, who stepped closer. "This is Lilie Moy, a Turk Trainee, soon to be Turk. Her father is working with Professor Hojo. Lilie, this is Zack. He's a First Class Soldier. And this..." He paused glancing at the blonde, frowning a little. "Actually I don't really think I ever got your name."

The blonde nodded as he shifted his helmet to his other arm. He held out his hand to Lilie. "Hi. I'm Cloud Strife. Third class guard."

Lilie smiled before she took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Cloud, Zack. I bet it's going to be fun fighting alongside Sephiroth. Oh, by the way, don't get too intimidated by Sephiroth's seriousness. He usually is like that. But deep inside he's actually really soft and fluffy. Like marshmallows!" she told them.

Zack sniggered while Sephiroth gave Lilie a look, though he was failing to hide the smile. "Lilie, don't tell them that. They're suppose to be scared of me so that they'll do their duties without question."

Lilie giggled. "Oh come on, Sephiroth. I was just trying to be nice."

Again Zack and Cloud laughed at the look on Sephiroth's face. He gave them both a look. "What're you laughing at? You guys get the gear and start packing up. We'll be leaving soon." He told them. The men all nodded and began grabbing their things. Sephiroth looked back at Lilie, who smiled. "Well, Lilie. Today's your big day. I know you'll do good. You've been doing pretty good for years now. When I get back, we'll go celebrate."

Lilie nodded. "Yeah?" She then frowned. "Well, Rufus doesn't seem to think I'll make it. He keeps saying that I'm going to fail and then become his secetary." She said glumily.

Sephiroth laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry about what Rufus says. He's just teasing you. I'll even make sure that you don't become his secetary if you fail, which you won't."

"But what if I do, Sephiroth? I'm really nervous. What if I do screw it up?" Lilie asked with a frown.

Sephiroth shook his head. "It's okay to be nervous. Everyone gets nervous. Believe it or not, when I first became the General, I was nervous about doing my job. But it worked out. And it will work out for you too. Just do your job right, follow your instincts and you'll do fine."

Lilie nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Sephiroth. That does help a lot. Good luck on your mission."

The silver haired General nodded. "Thank you. And good luck on your test. Now I better get going. We're on a tight schedule." He said. Lilie nodded and she watched him starting to leave before she thought of something. "Hey, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth turned back around, looking at her curiously. Lilie bit her lip before looking up into his eyes. "Do you...do you think I'm pretty?" She asked, nervously. That made Sephiroth smile as he turned back towards her. He took a step forward and then placed his hands onto her shoulders. "No, Lilie. I think you're beautiful. And if anyone ever tells you that you're not, I'll cut out their heart. Okay?"

Lilie laughed softly before nodding.

Sephiroth only smiled before he bent down a little and placed a kiss onto her forehead. Lilie immediately blushed hot red before she hugged him. "Thanks, Sephiroth. For being my friend and looking out for me. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd ever get this far."

Sephiroth only smiled down at her as he hugged her back then pulled away. "See you when I get back." He told her.

Lilie nodded and watched him leave. She followed him a little towards the door and watched him climb into the back of the truck they were riding in. Half way down the road, Sephiroth leaned out of the truck and waved up at her. She returned the wave with a smile until he was gone. It was the last time she ever saw him alive.

* * *

Days later, after Lilie had become an official Jr. Turk, she was on her way to her very first meeting as a Turk. She was so happy to be what she always wanted to be. Now she could go on missions with Reno and Rude, since they were already Turks. Reno had become a Turk two years before her and he already went on several missions with Rude, as his partner.  
Lilie had done more drawings during those days. She had drawn Sephiroth's departure and she favored that one quite a bit. She had even drawn a picture of his two partners, Zack and Cloud. She even started on a new picture of Rufus as how he was now. She even carried those pictures with her so she could look at when she was by herself.

She was just passing the conference room when she heard President Shinra shouting again. Out of curiousity, she stopped and listened. 'What's he so mad about now?' She thought to herself. She took a peek through the door.

Inside the room was several people, a few that she hadn't ever seen before. Two of them at least. She could see President Shinra sitting at his chair, surrounding by smoke from his stinking cigar. She could see Tseng, Rufus Shinra Professor Hojo and Heidigger as well. The two she didn't recognize was a very beautiful blonde wearing a scarlet red dress, half revealing her breasts and the other was a very small, plump man in a mustard yellow suit.

"This is an outrage! Are you sure that is what was reported, Heidigger?!" Shinra exclaimed.

The fat man with the horse like laugh nodded. "That's what the First Class Solider reported, Mr. President! He said that Sephiroth's lost it! He and Zack found the monsters inside the reactor. This is Hojo's fault!"

Professor Hojo glared at the man. "My fault?! How dare you! How can it be my fault?!" He demanded.

Heidigger glared right back at him. "You're the one...!"

Tseng rose his hands to try and calm everyone down. "Can we please stop shouting? It can't be that bad. Surely we can..."

"Tseng! For the Planet's sake! Sephiroth has discovered the monsters in Nibelhiem Reactor! What if he finds the documents for the Jenova Project?! He will definitely flip out!" Heidigger exclaimed. Hojo shook his head as he folded his arms. "He will not find those documents. There are over a hundred books in that library and he will have to search for many days before he can find them." He said calmly.

"But what if he does find them, Professor? How bad will he react?" Tseng asked. Hojo shook his head. "Only time can tell."

Just then the phone rang and President Shinra quickly yanked it up from the reciever. "What?!" He roared. There was a long silence before his red face slowly drained of color. His eyes widened at what he just heard on the phone. "He did what?!" He slowly nodded before hanging up the phone, looking very distant.

Everyone just stared at him. "Mr. President?" Tseng asked. President Shinra looked up, almost faint. "That was the informant in Nibelhiem. Sephiroth...he's found them."

Everyone looked alarmed but Hojo tilted his head. "He's found what?"

President Shinra shook his head. "He's found Professor Gast's documents, the reports of the Jenova Project. He knows what he is now. He knows what you did, Hojo. He just..." He paused to try and think of how he was going to say this. "...He just destroyed the town. He killed every man, woman and child there. He's on his way to release Jenova."

Everyone in the room looked even more alarmed, even Hojo. They didn't look they believed it but the look on the President's face told them that it was true. "Hojo, you have to go out to Nibelhiem. Find out what happened."

Professor Hojo nodded. "I will leave right a way. I still have to prepare Doctor Moy and his wife for the trip to Gongonga first. They will be leaving with me with their own team."

"Excellent. Hojo, if it's as bad as I think we may have kill Sephiroth. He's a danger to the company. He won't be allowed to live if he turns against us."

Outside the room, Lilie looked horrified to hear what she just heard. Her best friend, her mentor had murdered a whole town. But why? What did he find that was so bad? But what was worst, he may have to be killed for it. With tears in her eyes, she turned and ran down the hall.

Shortly after the meeting, Tseng had made his way to the room where the meeting for the Turks was going to be held. He was thinking about that morning's news. He knew how much this was going to break Lilie's heart once she found out about Sephiroth. The only question he had to ask was how was he going to break the news to her.

He had just entered the room when he noticed that everyone was there but Lilie. Frowing, he looked over at Reno, who was in the middle of cleaning his sunglasses and putting them back on his head. "Reno, where's Lilie?"

The red head Turk looked up before shrugging. "I don't know where the hell that girl is. I saw her just about ten minutes ago and when I said hi, she completely ignored me. She looked like she was crying though."

Tseng's eyes widened to hear that. "Oh no." He whispered. 'She knows.' He though. He sighed deeply before turning back around and walking out of the room. He had to go find her.

Rufus Shinra on the other hand was closest to where Lilie was. He had been on his way to his office when he noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. Frowning, he went over to it. "Damn janitors. Don't they know how to do their job properly? They are going to lose a lot of money if they don't start doing their job." He grumbled. He picked up the paper and crinkled it before stopping.

He slowly uncrinckled it again and looked at what he had just seen. His eyes lit up just by looking at it. It was a drawing of himself. And a very good one at that. Rufus then heard a cry and he turned to see the stairway towards the roof. There was a few more papers lying around so he went over and started picking them up and looking at them. They were all drawnings. Drawings of all of the Shinra Inc. workers. Even one of Sephiroth waving as if he could see him looking down at him. "What the..."

"Damn it!"

Rufus looked towards the door, which was half way open. He could hear someone cursing angrily about something. His brow furrowed a little before he walked up the stairs and went out onto the roof to see who was there. It was Lilie.

Lilie had been there for about a half an hour now, crying her eyes out. She couldn't believe that Sephiroth would do something like killing women and children. Because of what? That he found something out about himself? No, it had to be another reason. It was only then did she realize that she had dropped all her drawings and she began to pick them all up. She didn't even notice Rufus standing at the door, watching her. He watched her crawl around, picking up her papers. He noticed that they were drawings, just like the ones he hand in his hands.

It was then did Lilie reached for a drawing near his foot did she realize he was there. She looked up with surprise before frowning. "What do you want?!" She demanded. Rufus only stared at her, his eyes squinting a little. "Why are you crying? Don't tell me you broke a nail or something." He said. Lilie glared at him. "Shut up! I'm crying because I feel like it! Besides, I'm not crying!" She blushed how stupid that might have sounded. "She shook her head. "What are you doing up here?! Shouldn't you be flirting with your secetaries or something?!"

Rufus frowned at her. "You better watch it, Moy. I am the son of your boss. I can get you fired if you don't be careful of what you say to me." He said coldly.

Lilie glared even harder at him but then went back to picking up her drawings. That is, until she noticed he had some of them in his hands. She quickly stood and threw her hand out for them. Rufus quickly pulled back giving her a look. "Hey! Don't be so grabby!"

"Those are mine! Give them back!"

The young man glanced down at the papers before looking at her in surprise. "You drew these?" He asked. Lilie gave him a very annoyed look as she pushed her bangs out of her face. "Yeah. So what? Now give them back." She said a little more calmly this time. Rufus rose an eyebrow as he glanced back down at the pictures before handing them to her. "Why are you drawing pictures of me? I thought you hated me." He said with a sly smile on his face.

Lilie's cheeks flushed as she took the pictures and tried to flatten them out. Her eyes flashing with annoyance as she looked at him. "I do hate you! I draw everyone I know. Even people I hate."

"Well, excuse me, Turk Princess." Rufus said rolling his eyes.

Lilie glowered at him as she went back to where her bag was and began placing her pictures away. "Don't call me that, White boy." She said coldly. Rufus folded his arms as he shifted his weight. "Don't call me White boy. Call me Mr. Vice President." He smirked when Lilie glanced at him. "That's right. My old man made me Vice President today. Isn't that great? I'm your boss now. Get ready to do some filing for me."

"Shut up! I'm a Turk, not a secetary! So go kiss Hojo's pasty white ass." Lilie said harshly.

Rufus pulled a face but didn't comment on that. "Why were you crying up here anyway?"

"Why do you care?!"

Again, Rufus pulled a face as he watched her neatly putting her pictures away in the bag. "I don't care. I just want to know why you're bawling like a baby again." He earned a glare but he chose to ignore the look.

"Look! If the All Mighty Rufus Shinra really wants to know, I overheard the meeting about Sephiroth, okay?! There! Are you happy?! I heard what your father said about what happened in Nibelhiem!" Lilie snapped.

Rufus just stared at her with a frown. "And, you're crying about that, why?"

Lilie growled with frustration as she turned a little, stepping on the strap of her bag, though she didn't notice. "Other than Reno, Sephiroth was my friend, Rufus! Okay?! I just lost my friend! How else am I suppose to act when I lose a friend like that?! To hear that your friend destroyed and killed an entire town and lost his mind enough to make him an enemy of the company that you're working for, is enough to make you act exactly like I'm doing right now!" Lilie said angrily. She stood up, throwing her hands up in the air. "Oh! Why am I telling you this?! Like you would care what I say anyway!"

Rufus flipped his bangs out of his eyes then ran his fingers through his hair. "You got that right. I don't care what you say."

He started to turn away but paused when he saw Lilie bending down to pick up her bag. He noticed that her foot was still on the strap and it made him smirk to think that she might make a fool of herself by trying to pick it up. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly sure what was about to happen.

Lilie jerked the bag up, gasping a little as her foot moved with it. She immediately lost her balance and staggered back a little. She fell against the railing behind her with a small startled cry.

Suddenly there was a loud snap and the bars gave out from behind her. Lilie dropped her bag and shrieked as she fell with the bars. She let another shriek as started to fall over the edge of the roof.

Rufus jumped as he watched her starting to fall and he moved a lot faster than he usually was accostomed to. He rushed forward as fast as he could, throwing out his hand towards Lilie's. He almost missed catching her hand but he managed to grab a hold of it. Lilie fell over the edge but gasped as she came to a sudden stop. Her legs were kicking at the side for something to stand on but it was making it harder for Rufus to hold on to her.

"Damn it, Lilie! Stop it!" He snapped down at her as he grabbed her wrist with the other hand and held as tight as he could. He was in a crouch, trying to hold her up.

"AHHHH!! Help! Pull me up! Please!" Lilie screamed as she still kicking at the wall.

"Lilie! Stop it!" Rufus shouted at her. He ended up going down to his knee because he was starting to loose grip on her.

Lilie stopped kicking as she gasped for air. She was trying very hard to calm herself down but it was a little hard when she hanging off the roof of a 70 story building. She was shaking violently, clutching onto Rufus's hands and the sleeve of his jacket. Her eyes were extremely wide with fear as she looked up into his icy blue eyes, which were squinted at her.

"Take a deep breath! Keep calm! I've got you, all right? Just stop kicking the wall or I'm going to drop you." He said as calmly as he could, yet his voice was thick from the excitement.

"What the hell?! Lilie!"

Rufus nearly did let her go this time as he looked over his shoulder but Lilie's scream brought him back to her and he tightened his hold on her wrist. It had been Tseng who showed up. The Leader of the Turks quickly rushed forward and reached for Lilie's other hand. "Lilie, your hand!" He said quickly. Lilie nodded and reached it out to him. Tseng grabbed a hold of it and he started to pull her up. Rufus pulled her other hand.

They finally had her up to safety. However, she immediately collasped on the young man in white. Her hands were clutching his arms and he could feel her trembling against him. Her head was bowed as she tried her hardest to calm herself down. Rufus couldn't help but put his arm around her and hold her to help calm her down.

"What in the world?!"

All three looked to see Reeve standing there but he quickly moved forward with a concerned look on his face. "What happened up here?"

Tseng looked down at Lilie, who was still trying to calm herself. "Lilie, what happened? How did you..." He then looked at Rufus when he realized that Lilie was unable to answer. The young Vice President shook his head. "She tripped on her bag and fell against the bars but they gave out on her." He told the Turk Leader.

"What were you doing up here, Rufus? How did you know she was here?" Tseng asked, his eyes squinting a little.

Rufus frowned at him. "I found her here, that's all. And I know what you're thinking but I didn't push her! I wouldn't do that!" He said with a very stern tone.

Tseng blew out a sigh. "I'm sorry to make you think that I was accusing you, Young Mister Shinra. I wasn't. I was just wondering." He looked back at Lilie, who was still clutching onto Rufus. "Lilie, it's okay. You're safe now. You can let go of Rufus now."

Lilie blinked several times before she looked down at her hands and jerked away from the blonde as if he had burned her. Her face had turned very red from embarrassment. It almost made Rufus smirk with amusement but he held it back by thinking of how serious it might have looked with him holding her off the roof.

"Are you all right? What happened?" Tseng asked. He was just trying to see what her side of the story was. To see if Rufus really was telling the truth.

Lilie only nodded as she tried to stand up, Tseng helped her up. She glanced from Rufus to Reeve then to Tseng. "I tripped on my bag and the railing broke. Rufus...he saved my life." She told him, almost groaning. She realized that she was now in Rufus Shinra's debt. She hated the idea of being in anyone's debt. Espeically Rufus Shinra's. It was more than likely he was going to taunt her for the rest of her life about this.

Tseng nodded as he took in the information. He looked her over for any injuries but didn't see any. "Are you hurt? Is anything broken?"

Lilie shook her head. "No. I'm not hurt at all." Suprisingly, she wasn't.

"What were you doing up here in the first place?" Her boss asked as they slowly began leaving the roof together.

Lilie sighed as she lowered her head. "I...I heard what happened to Sephiroth." She whispered. Tseng frowned softly but then nodded. "I thought so. Are you going to be okay about that?" He asked. Lilie slowly nodded. "I'll be fine. I just...I can't believe that he's done that. Destroying a whole town like that." She said. Tseng nodded. "What's worst to report is he's dead now. They couldn't find him but apparently he was killed by a 3rd class guard. Surprising, though. I wouldn't have ever expected that from some with a low rank."

'Cloud Strife.' Lilie remembered the name of the boy that had been with Sephiroth before he left. She was silent for the rest of the day. But before she had gone with Tseng into the conference room, she looked back at Rufus, who was standing out in the hall. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the door closed behind her.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter 6:**

"Did you really fall off the roof of the H.Q.?" Reno asked as they walked down the hall.

Lilie frowned as she pulled her long claret colored hair into a ponytail. She rolled her eyes at the thought. It had been a few days since she heard about what happened to Sephiroth. She had cried some but she was soon over it. Eventually, everyone had heard about what happened on the roof. It was no doubt that Rufus had bragged about how he saved her life from falling off the roof of Shinra Inc. Headquarters.  
"No, I didn't fall off the roof, Reno. I decided to commit suicide because a friend went mad and was killed by a third class soldier. YES! I tripped and fell over the edge and Rufus saved my ass." As she had expected, he started laughing. Rude just chortled silently and cleaned his sunglasses. Lilie glared at the two of them. "Shut up! It's not funny! I could have been killed!"

The two slowly stopped, though Reno was still sniggering. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I just kind of find it a little funny how you hate him so much that he goes and saves your life and now you owe him your life. I bet you anything that Tseng might put you as his bodyguard now that you owe him a life debt."

Lilie frowned. "Oh, god. I hope not. As if I didn't have enough of him here at work as it is." She grumbled. Again, Reno laughed. But a second later, he was whinning about how hard Lilie punched him in the shoulder.

Later in the day while Lilie was running some errands for Tseng, she happened to be passing by Reeve's office and she heard him swear loudly. She couldn't help but stop in mid-step and looked towards the door. She could hear Reeve muttering curses about something. Being as curious as she was, she had to take a small peek in the office. It only surprised her greatly when she saw Reeve bent over a very large toysaurus, which was sparking with electricity.

"Damn it. This is not going to work." The Head of Urban Developement grumbled and rubbed his forehead.

Lilie softly pushed the door open a little more so she had a better view. She watched Reeve throw a tool down on his desk and he sank into his chair. She bit her lip before stepping inside. "Wow. That's amazing." She said softly.

Reeve jumped a little in his chair, jerking around to see her then relaxed. "Lilie, must you always sneak up on me like that? You're as bad as Reno." he said. Lilie only smiled before she looked at the large stuffed mog. "Sorry, Reeve. What is this?" She asked moving over to the large doll and she looked it over.

"It's a project I've been working on for years now. When I'm not working on blue prints for reactors, I'm working on my own thing. This is going to be the perfect spy someday. It can spy on anyone without any suspicion. I'm going to program it to be like a fortune telling machine." Reeve sighed as he looked it over. "Unfortunately, it's missing something. And I can't figure out what."

Lilie tilted her head to the side as she looked the machine over then she glanced down at the blue prints Reeve had made for the toysaurus. A thought came to her quickly. "Hey. Why don't you give it two counterparts. The large mog and something else. It can walk, talk and do the fortune telling thing. Say like the second counterpart you make for this can give the mog orders and stuff. You know?" She asked. A smile appeared on Reeve's face as he let the thought roll around in his mind. "Yeah. That's quite the idea." He then frowned as he looked it over. "But what would go well with a overstuffed mog?"

Lilie bit her lip before she glanced out the window. She spotted a cat walking across the window sill and it amazed her about how it got up there. But that was when she had the great idea. "Hey! Why not a cat?" She asked motioning towards the cat outside the window.

Reeve looked at it, before a grin spread out on his face. "Great idea, Lilie! You are such a sweetheart, you know that? A cat would be perfect with this." He immediately started drawing something. He glanced up at the cat a few times before looking back at the drawing. Lilie just stood in silence, looking the toysaurus over, thinking about how this comtraption might look once it was done.

"There! What do you think?" Reeve asked holding the drawing up.

Lilie looked at the drawing for a long moment. It looked exactly like the cat out on the window sill. It's body was black and white, yet there was something that didn't right about it. The cat just sat on it's hind legs, waving a paw and it's eyes were quite large though. Lilie crinkled her nose before shaking her head. "It's really cute but I don't think that would work." She then took the drawing. "Here. Let me try something."

Reeve nodded for her to do so.

Lilie redrew the cat only it's eyes were small. She tilted her head before drawing the cat again, only standing up on its hind legs, as if it were a person. That seemed right for the job. So she showed it to Reeve. "What if the cat were like a person? He could talk like one and even walk."

Reeve nodded with a smile. "That sounds like a really good idea."

She nodded as she looked at the picture. "Hm. Let's see." She then drew a cape hanging on the cat's back. "Yeah! A cape! It would give him a good look. Just like an entertainer." She said showing the picture to Reeve again. The inventer was grinning now. "Hey! That's not a bad idea! I'm starting to get something now. Thanks, Lilie. I'll show you the blue prints when I get finished."

Lilie nodded with a smile as she handed the picture to him. "No problem, Reeve. I can't wait till it's done."

"There you are."

Lilie turned around and looked to see who was standing in the door way. It was Tseng with another Turk Lilie recognized as Jackson.

"Oh, hi, Tseng. Sorry if I was keeping Lilie from doing something. She was just helping me come up with a good for my new invention." Reeve said. Tseng shook his head. "No, it's fine. She wasn't doing anything else." He turned his attention onto Lilie. "Lilie, I needed to speak with you about something. It has to deal with your first mission." He said. Lilie nodded. "Okay." She patted Reeve on the shoulder. "See you later, Reeve. Can't wait to see him done." She said pointing at the mog. Then she left the room with Tseng and the Turk.

"Lilie, I've been thinking hard about this for the past few days. I think it be best to have you do it. Considering the condition." Tseng said. Lilie could tell that he was trying to approach the subject delicately. She frowned as she just stared at her boss. "I'm not going to like this mission, am I?"

Tseng pulled a face. "I don't think so. Especially when you hate Rufus Shinra."

Lilie really groaned when he mentioned that name. She knew exactly where this was going. She clapped a hand over her eyes and leaned her head back. "Tseng." She said with a light whine. Tseng shook his head. "Oh, stop that. It's not going to be that bad. All you have to do is watch over him while he's in Junon. You just have to make sure that no one tries to harm him in any way." He said. Lilie sighed as she dropped her hand. "You know, being Rufus Shinra's bodyguard wasn't exactly my idea of a first mission. Especially when he's the most inconsiderate, insatiable, materialistic person I've ever met." She said folding her arms.

"Oh, I love you too, Lilie." Someone said sarcastically.

Lilie gritted her teeth and closed her eyes when she heard his voice. She had to hold in a deep groan of annoyance before she turned around gave Rufus Shinra a deep look of loathing. He looked just as annoyed as she did.

Tseng pulled a face. "Lilie, don't talk about your employer like that." He leaned a little closer to her. "Especially when he's standing right there. It'll only get your fired." He whispered. Lilie rolled her eyes as she tightened her arms around her. "Whatever. So since I'm being assigned as Rufus's stupid bodyguard, what now?"

"So you're going to take the job?" Her boss asked.

"If I refused, I'd probably never get another job again. Most likely just desk jobs." Lilie grumbled.

Rufus rolled his eyes before he smirked. "Speaking of desk jobs..." He began. Lilie glared at him. "I'm your bodyguard, Shinra, not your secetary. So don't even think about it." She said coldly. Rufus sniggered while Tseng sighed. It was a sigh that said two different things. Relief and hesitation. "I'm not going to regret this, am I?" He asked. Lilie shook her head. "No, Tseng. You're not going to regret it. But I might. So what now?"

"We're going to Junon Harbor, that's what." Rufus said folding his own arms. "And I suppose since you're my bodyguard, you have to come along."

Tseng rose an eyebrow at him. "Mr. Vice President, Lilie is only there to protect you. Not to humor you with doing stupid errands. Just to remind you." He said. Rufus rolled his eyes. "I've already told my old man that I don't need a bodyguard. I'll have Dark Nation with me. She's all I need."

Lilie frowned at the name. What was a Dark Nation? She remembered Reno had said something about it before but she didn't remember what it was.

Tseng shook his head. "Mr. Shinra, your father wants you to have a Turk bodyguard who can hold a weapon. Not claw someone's eyes out. I know that you probably don't need one but I'm under your father's orders. And so are you. Now Lilie is a fine Turk and she can protect you from any harm. But you have to let her. I know you have a history of fighting with her, but seriously, you two need to start getting along. She's the best Turk we have available."

Rufus smirked as he folded his arms. "Yeah? That's not what I heard though. I heard she's the **only** Turk available."

Lilie was on the verge of slugging him now. But she knew that if she hit him in front of Tseng, she would probably lose her job. So she decided that she would get him back later when Tseng wasn't around.

Tseng just frowned. "Rufus."

Rufus rolled his eyes. "All right. She can be my bodyguard. But she has to do what I say, when I say it."

Lilie gave him a look as if saying 'Drop dead' but Tseng gave her a look of warning so she dropped the look. Then he looked at Rufus. "Rufus, need I remind you that Lilie will do what you say but she will not be your secetary, as you have constantly teased her about when you were both children. She's a Turk, not an office worker. You have other secetaries that you can bother with work like that. But Lilie is there to protect you. And when something dangerous comes up, you're the one to listen to her, got that?"

"And exactly who do you think is the boss around here, Tseng? Damn, you're as bad as my old man." Rufus said throwing his hands up in the air.

Tseng rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "It's your father's orders. He's the boss around here. That's it, case closed. And to make sure that things go the way they are suppose to," He paused looking at Lilie. "Lilie, meet your partner for the mission, Jackson Briggs. He's going to stick around for a week, maybe two just to make sure that things get settled and your comfortable with the job. He may come once in a while after that, just to check in. He's got another job he's doing in Junon as well." Then Tseng smirked. "And he's going to make sure you haven't killed Rufus yourself."

Lilie just smiled slyly when she saw Rufus frown. The Turk, Jackson chuckled. "I suppose it's that bad between them, hm?"

Tseng laughed with him. "Oh, you have no idea, Jack. Things might get interesting for the first few days." He told him. "Anyway, you will be going to Junon tonight. So I suggest you get what you need. You will be there for quite some time, so make yourself comfortable. Junon might just as well be your new home for a year."

Lilie nodded, hiding the disgust inside her. "Yes, sir. I need only a half an hour to be ready." She said. Tseng nodded. "Take your time then. You won't be leaving for another three hours. So for the next three hours, you have free time. What you do, is your business. Just be ready to go in three hours."

Lilie nodded. She glanced at Rufus, her eyes narrowing a little but then she smiled. "See you in three hours, Mr. Shinra."

Rufus frowned but didn't retort. He watched Lilie walk away before he glanced at Tseng. "I'm not going to regret letting you have Lilie be my bodyguard, am I?" He asked. Tseng smiled as he folded his arms and he began to move back away from the Young Shinra. "May I suggest something? Don't pick on her while in Junon. I won't be there to stop her from beating you up. Just do what she says when it comes to the security. That's what Turks are all about. They will do anything to make sure that their job goes the way its suppose to. And I mean anything." He then turned and walked away with Jackson. Rufus watched him go before he turned and headed back up the hall.

Lilie was talking to Reno about her mission and glaring at him when he sniggered. "So I had been right. Tseng was going to make you Rufus's bodyguard. And I bet you anything its because he saved your ass." He said with a snigger. Lilie gave him a look. "That's not what he said. He said that I was the best Turk for the job." She said giving him a sly smile.

Reno rolled his eyes but he still smiled. "Yeah? Is that what he said?"

"Reno, if you know something you better tell me? Exactly what are you doing if you haven't been chosen for the job?" Lilie asked suspiciously. The older Turk shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Nothing really. I'm helping Tseng trying to track down some Ancient. But it's really hard getting a hold of her."

Lilie frowned at the word. Of course she had heard of an Ancient. She had heard her very own parents talking about them. Apparently there was only one Ancient left in the world, yet no one seemed to know where it was. She remembered how her parents said that it was Hojo who had ordered the Turks to get a hold of the Ancient. He had wanted to capture it and experiment on it. Lilie didn't like the idea of that man getting a hold of anything. She had seen some of his work before while running errands through the labatories. The monsters he usually created were not ones that would do good in the outside world.

"An Ancient getting the best of you, huh? That must be embarrassing for you." Lilie teased.

Reno gave her a look but shook her head. "It's not that she's getting the best of us, Lil. I've seen her before. She can fight pretty good, I'll tell you that. But it's Tseng."

Lilie frowned. "What about Tseng?"

The red haired Turk shook his head. "Tseng has this thing about the girl. He likes her and he doesn't want to hurt her. I'm thinking that's why he keeps letting her go when we do corner her."

"He can't do that. That's against his orders." Lilie said with concern. She didn't like the idea of her childhood hero being in trouble because he kept letting something go that the company wanted. Reno nodded. "I know. But I can't really blame him either. You should see this girl. She's definitely something else." he said. Lilie couldn't help but smile. "Sounds like you have a crush, Reno."

Reno gave her a look for that. "No way! She's definitely not my type. I like the outgoing, wild chicks. She's too sweet and innocent for me. She is very pretty, I'll tell you that. But so are a few more girls I know." He said grinning. He even nudged her arm to give her the hint and she blushed.

"Shut up!" She said slugging Reno's arm. Reno just laughed as they walked on down the hall. "Well, I got to go and get my stuff together. We're leaving for Junon in a couple of hours." Lilie said. Reno nodded. "Okay. Too bad we can't train for a while. You're the only challenge for me. I can kick everyone else's ass."

"What about Rude? Why don't you train with him?"

Reno shook his head. "Ah, he's out of town on a mission right now. Won't be back until later in the week. Maybe I'll go outside of the city and beat up some monsters again."

Lilie smirked as she thought of something. "Why don't you go ask Hojo if you can train against his monsters again?" She almost laughed at the look on Reno's face. "Aw, hell no! I might be bored but I'm not crazy! The last time I fought against one of those ugly things he calls animals I ended up in the Infirmary trying to stop the bleeding in my arm! I am not going near those things again!" Reno ranted. Lilie laughed before she jogged down the hall. "Okay. Well, see you later. Hope you'll come visit in Junon." She turned and hurried away.

* * *

Later, Lilie was waiting at the helepad with a very moody look on her face. The Turk, Jackson, looked just as impatient as she did. It was time to get going but Rufus wasn't there yet. He was ten minutes late now. The pilot had even wanted to get going but since Rufus wasn't there yet, they had to wait longer. Lilie sighed with frustration before she glanced down at her watch and then looked around again.

Finally after five more minutes, Rufus showed up. But he wasn't alone. He was talking to an older woman, who was clearly flirting with him. Lilie recognized the woman though. It was the beautiful blonde woman wearing the scarlet red dress. Now that Lilie could see her better, she saw that there was a long slit in her dress that went up to her thigh, revealing her right leg and thigh, luckily no more. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a tight blonde and her face was covered with make up. She was definitely attracted the men since her bosoms were half hanging out of her top.

"Rufus! Where the hell have you been?! We were suppose to leave fifteen minutes ago!" Lilie said angrily.

Rufus looked away from the woman and frowned a little as he glanced at his watch. The woman, however, glared at Lilie. "Excuse me, but do not speak to the Vice President like that! You are a Turk and he is your boss!" She snapped.

Lilie gave the woman an icy look but stopped when Rufus held up a hand. "Ladies, don't even start." He turned to Lilie. "Well, sorry, Lilie. But I was finishing up a meeting with the old man, all right? Now that I'm here, we can go." He said, starting over to the chopper. He had to stop though because the woman put her hand on his arm and she began to escort him to the helecopter.

"So who's this, Shinra?" Lilie asked as she followed behind.

The woman turned around, giving Lilie a look. "I am Scarlett. Head of the Developement of Weaponary. And you are?" She asked in disgust.

Lilie folded her arms as she tossed her chair over her shoulder. "I'm Mr. Shinra's bodyguard. That's all you need to know. And we're on a tight schedule so back off and let him get in the helecopter." She said in a cold way. She saw Rufus smirk as Scarlett began to glare at her. "How dare you! I am your superior! I should have you fired right away!"

It was then Jackson stepped in. He grabbed a hold of Rufus's other arm and pulled him towards the helecopter. "Miss Scarlett, as if you could have Miss Moy fired. No one listens to you anyway. So go fix your makeup or something." He said coldly.

Lilie smirked inwardly as the woman glared at her partner then stomped away in a huff. Rufus was sniggering while he climbed into the helecopter. "She really didn't like that, Jackson. Maybe that was a little extreme."

Jackson and Lilie both climbed in, sitting theirselves beside and in front of Rufus. "A little extreme? I thought that was perfect. She seems to be very high on herself. And isn't she a little too old for you?" Lilie asked folding her arms.

Rufus scowled at her. "Ew. Lilie, you just made me throw up in my mouth." He said sarcastically. Both Jackson and Lilie laughed while the helecopter began to hum to life. "For your information, Lilie Moy, Scarlett works for my father and she was telling me about some Mako Cannon she was working on for the defense of Junon Harbor. Something called the Sister Ray or something like that."

"Uh-huh, yeah, well that wasn't the only thing she was telling you. She was trying to tell you to sleep with her." Lilie said looking out the window.

Rufus snorted as he folded his arms. "Wow. You sound jealous."

"Ugh! You are definitely in need of help, you know that?" Lilie shot back. Jackson was sniggering to himself as he looked at each of the two. "Tseng was right. This was going to get interesting." He said. Both Rufus and Lilie only glanced at him before they looked in opposite windows, watching as the earth below them began to get smaller as they took off. No one spoke for the rest of the trip.

* * *

Lilie had seen Junon Harbor once before and that was when she first arrived on the continent. Now, she was there again. It looked different from the last time she last saw it though she couldn't figure out what was so different about it. She just frowned as she looked the entire base over, pausing to see what actually lied below the city. A very small town sat below it. She figured she would have to check that out when she had the chance.

"We'll have to get out first, Lilie, to make sure it's safe." Jackson reminded her.

Lilie looked over at her partner and nodded though she saw the look of annoyance on Rufus's face. She couldn't help but smirk at the look on his face. "For god's sakes. I'm not going to be in danger being here. I haven't done anything to piss the world off." He grumbled under his breath.

Lilie looked away with a smile on her face. "Yet." She muttered and she knew that Rufus glared at her for saying that. But she didn't pay any attention to him yet.

As soon as the helecopter touched down on the ground, both of the Turks jumped out, their hands on their weapons and they looked around. There were guards even waiting to greet the new Vice President so it was clear that it was safe. But still...Lilie glanced in the upper part of the city to see if there might be a sniper. She didn't see anyone up there so she turned to Jackson and nodded. "It's safe." She informed him.

Jackson nodded with a smile. He looked quite impressed with her.

They both looked at Rufus, who was already making his way out of the helecopter. He took a quick second to re-adjust his white jacket before nodding to Lilie and Jackson that he was ready to go. They only nodded back and lead him across the helepad to the people waiting for them. Lilie stuck to Rufus's side while Jackson moved forward to meet them first. He made a check security check, looking at the IDs then gave a nod of satisfaction to Lilie, who then allowed Rufus to walk forward. She could see how annoyed Rufus was getting with the tight security but he still hadn't complained about it.

"Welcome to Junon Harbor, Mr. Vice President. We're so happy that you could come." A man said.

Rufus only nodded as he walked with the group. He only glanced at Lilie and Jackson as they stationed theirselves right behind him, staying as close as they could, yet giving him enough distance to walk without getting tripped. "I'm glad to be here. It seems like you're doing a good job here."

The man smiled, looking quite happy to hear that. "Thank you, sir. If you would like it, I could take you on a tour of the base. Just to get you up to speed." He said. Rufus nodded.

So they went on a tour around of the base and Lilie was more bored then ever but she kept her attention alert. She made sure to look around carefully for any danger but after the first hour, she gave up on searching for anything suspicious. There was nothing dangerous going on in the base.

Finally after a very long time, they were shown to the suite floor for them. While Lilie stood next to Rufus, making sure that no one would sneak up behind them and off the Vice President, Jackson was looking around the room just for security reasons. Finding none, Rufus was allowed to be left alone in his room. Lilie was shown to her room, which was right next door to Rufus's. Her room wasn't very big at all. But that was because the people of Junon Harbor didn't even seem to notice that she was there so they didn't care about her whatsoever. Though, some of the guards watched her go by with grins. She stopped the looks quickly by giving them her iciest stare. That made every single one go on with their duties.

Over the next few days, Lilie and Jackson were spending most of their time running background checks on all of the employees while Rufus did what he was usually suppose to do. Some of the employees did not impress neither one of them and they made sure that they were either replaced with a more satisfactory employee or they were being watched carefully.

After the first week had passed, Jackson left to do his own mission, giving Lilie his PHS number just in case she needed something. And then he was off. Lilie wasn't planning on using the number though. She knew she could do it all by herself. She was a Turk and she was going to prove that she was one of the best.

However, the only problem was, Rufus was really starting to get annoyed by Lilie because she hardly let anyone go near him if they weren't wearing nametags or if she didn't know them. He knew it was apart of her job to make sure he stayed safe but he believed that she was going a little overboard with it all. But sooner or later, he was going to learn that he had better start trusting her, no matter how safe Junon seemed to be.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter 7:**

The next few weeks were just so dull to Lilie that she found interest in training in the training center among some of the guards. She mostly ignored some of the jeers she was getting from them. She was very aware on what was on their minds as they just stared at her, with sick grins on their faces. She knew that some time they would probably try something against her, but she would show them what it means to mess around with a Turk.

She also found out what Dark Nation had been on her first night in Junon. For the creature had arrived the very night they had. She had never seen Rufus so excited to see anything before. But this creature was definitely at the top of his list. It happened to be a large black panther and a very lovely one at that. Even Lilie couldn't help but admire its sleek, black body. Of course, it had a different reaction to Lilie that no one had ever seen before. The very second it looked at her, it just stared at her.

Rufus smirked as he ran his fingers through the panther's fur. "You like her? She's my number one pet and body guard. She can do a lot more than anyone could do. Not that I'm dissing you or anything, Lilie." He said as soon as Lilie gave him a look.

It only surprised him when Dark Nation stalked over to Lilie, who tensed up just a little. The two just stared at one another, looking into each other's eyes. For some reason, Lilie couldn't find any reason to fear this beast. It seemed the same thing to Dark Nation. And without any warning, the panther stepped closer to Lilie and licked her hand. Everyone else just stared with astonishment, Rufus definitely being one of them.

Lilie then smiled as she gently ran her fingers along the panther's head to her neck, then gently digging her nails into the beast's back and making her purr. "Oh yeah. I definitely like her." She bent down and gently placed her hands under Dark Nation's chin, looking right into the giant cat's dark eyes. "I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine. And maybe we can work together in keeping your bimbo master from getting himself killed. What do you say?" She ignored the looks she was getting from Rufus. Dark Nation, on the other hand, just licked Lilie's face and then bumped her chin. Lilie laughed as she looked at Rufus, who was scowling. "Looks like you have two body guards who agree with each other, Shinra."

Rufus only scowled and turned away. "Turning Dark Nation against me. Ha! That'll never happen."

Only it did.

Whenever Lilie had told Rufus to make sure that he checked with her when he was suppose to and he didn't, she sent Dark Nation after him. The black panther would return while dragging her master by the jacket and him protesting. Lilie laughed every time.  
Also, when Rufus was too busy to pay any attention to his pet while working, Dark Nation trained with Lilie. It was at this time did the guards of Junon try something against the claret haired Turk and they would soon be very sorry.

It was quite a warm afternoon and Rufus was doing paper work in his office, nothing very dangerous about that. Plus there were guards sitting outside the office, making sure that no one bothered him. Lilie had decided that she wanted to go training and she instructed Rufus to do nothing other wise than what he was suppose to do.

"Need I remind you, I am your boss!" He growled at her with annoyance before she had left.

Lilie gave him an innocent smile as she flipped her hair back. "And need I remind you, boss, that your pet is my friend. And she will be sitting here, making sure that you do exactly what I tell you." She warned and then she left, cracking up while Rufus grumbled.

Lilie went to the training room and began the same routine she usually did. She stretched, then did weights, shadow boxed, jogged around the training center, nothing out of schedule. And once again the guards were watching her with those sick smiles. They had watched her for the past hour as she literately beat the sand out of a punching bag before they approached her.

"So, chickee-dee. You're the new girl on our pay roll. How old are you anyway?" One asked.

Lilie ignored him as she pounded her fists against the bag. Her teeth clenched tight as she imagined the bag each and every one of the men that stood around her.

"Hello? Are you deaf?"

With frustration, Lilie kicked the punching bag a lot harder than she usually was doing, making it swing and hit the one who said that. It sent him staggering back and his friends all laughed. "I'm 16 years old, got that?! Now shut up and go bother someone else!" Lilie snapped then returned to beating up her punching bag.

The men all sniggered. "Wow, girly. You sure know how to talk. But do you know how to walk?" One asked with a grin.

Lilie pulled a face as she gave that one a look. That had been one of the most stupidest pick up lines she had ever heard and the most disgusting as well. She looked him over before glaring up in his face. "Ugh! You freaks. Don't you have something better to do than bother me? I'm training here, and I don't have time to be messing around with idiots like you!" She snapped before she turned to start walking away. But the men quickly moved to block her path. Lilie just glared. "Get out of the way. Now!" She hissed at them.

The men all sneered at her. "No, missy. We're going to show you how to be a real woman." The leader of the group said as he let his eyes look her over.

Lilie rolled her eyes and she placed her hands onto her hips. "Yeah right. To show me how to be a real woman, you have to be a real man first. Which, none of you are." She said coolly and tried to go around them. Again they moved. "Look! If you don't get the hell out of my way or I will show what makes me a great Turk." She said warningly.

The men all grinned. "Oh you can show us anything you want. Especially what's under those cloths of yours."

Lilie looked towards the wall very dully before she slowly shook her head. "You really are asking for it, aren't you? All right. I'll show you." She said coldly.

Without a warning, she straightened very quickly and swung her leg right into the man that had said that last bit to her. The rest of the men immediately frowned with surprise as they watched the man go flying across the room and hit the wall. But they didn't have time to watch any longer because Lilie slammed her fist into the next and then swung her foot at another. The men quickly scattered.

"Man! What a bitch!" A man snapped as he escaped Lilie's attacks.

Lilie smirked to herself. "You know it." She said before she jumped high into the air and sent a flying kick right into that man's chest. He went sailing back. She then had to barrel roll as a man started to attack her. She spun around in a crouch and swept the man's feet right out from under him. The man came down hard. And Lilie then slammed her palm down on his chest making him cry out in pain and start groaning. None of the other men attacked again as they just stared at her with surprise. Lilie stood up and smirked coldly at them. "Next time, do yourselves a favor and don't flirt with me. You're horrible and I'm not interested in a bunch of scrubs like you." She said coolly and then she started towards the door.

The men then looked at one another before they looked back at Lilie's back with outrage. They began to charge to attack as once. Lilie turned back around to see them coming and she smirked. "Oh, so you want to learn more lessons? All right. Teacher Lilie is back in action." And she immediately began dodging fists.

The men were hardly any match for her. She had moved too quickly for them and she was a lot stronger than they had thought she was. She nearly sent every man to the ground, groaning in pain. That is until the leader got back into the action. He had waited until Lilie wasn't looking before he pulled a pair of nunchucks out of the weapons shelf and snuck up behind her while she was pounding one of his men. When she didn't turn around to attack him, he quickly swung the nunchucks over her head and put them against her throat, pulling her hard against him.

Lilie had definitely been surprised someone had actually snuck up behind her. But she didn't have the chance to react. She gasped as the nunchucks began to tighten against her throat. She gasped in pain and for air as her air was being cut off. The man behind her just tightened his hold on the nunchucks, even with her struggling. "See what happens when you mess with real Shinra Soldiers?! You get hurt, girly!"

Lilie gritted her teeth as she tried to search her memory for what Reno had taught her about being in a position like this. But because of the loss of air being cut off from her brain, she couldn't think. She choked for air trying to get her a single breath but the man just tightened his grip.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and a loud roar of rage. The men all jumped and immediately the man behind Lilie released the nunchucks making her quickly pull away from him, going down to one knee as she gasped for air and rubbed her throat. She looked just in time to see the man go flying with a large black object. It surprised to see Dark Nation now attacking the man. The large panther bit the man hard on the arm, making him screaming in pain before jumping off of him, kicking hard and she hurried over to Lilie's side, snarling at the men standing around them.

Lilie smirked as she gently touched Dark Nation's side, patting her. "Thanks, Dark Nation." She then stood up, and rose her fists. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "So, you want to play that way, huh? Well, let's go." She said in a deadly tone.

The men only glanced at one another before they charged again.

This time, both Lilie and Dark Nation charged with them and they were soon throwing men here to there. The red haired Turk slammed her fist into one man's face, not even holding back this time. She saw Dark Nation just clawing and biting the men, making them all cry out in pain.

Within minutes, the battle was over. The men were lying all over the floor, bloodied and bruised badly. Lilie clapped her hands together as if wiping dust of them and then she turned to Dark Nation, who looked up at her. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" She asked before sinking down onto her behind.  
The black panther sat down on her hind quarters and let her scratch behind her ears.

Just then the doors opened and in walked Rufus with a few men. The Vice President looked concerned about something but then he halted in his footsteps and looked around. His eyes were extremely wide as he looked at the men on the ground. "What the hell?!" He looked over at Lilie, who gave him an innocent smile. "What did you do?"

Lilie shrugged looking as innocent as could be. "They had it coming, Rufus. They attacked me first so I was teaching them a lesson about what happens when they mess with a Turk."

Rufus rose an eyebrow. "And exactly why did Dark Nation go running out of my office like she did?"

"She must have sensed me fighting. I did get myself in a position that I didn't want to be in. So she came to help me." Lilie said with a smile. She then stood up. "Well, as much as I'm having fun chatting with you, Rufus, I do need to take a shower. That was quite the training section." She looked back at Dark Nation. "Darky, keep an eye on him while I'm getting cleaned up." She said and then she started walking towards the door. Rufus only smirked as he watched her go before looking around the room.

"Wow. She really is good, sir. These were some of our best men and she beat them down." One of the men with Rufus said.

"Hmph. Then you don't know Lilie Moy that well, Domino. She never fails to impress me." He then nodded to Dark Nation. "Come on, you. You better do what Lilie says and keep an eye on me." The black panther stood up and stalked after him.

* * *

The next few days were just as interesting. Whenever Lilie went back into the training center to train, she found the men there too. They were bruised very badly and she knew that their pride had been too. They could not look at her without looking afraid or embarrassed. She only gave them a smirk as she went back to beating up the punching bags. After a few more days of having to look at the scared looks on their faces, Lilie walked over to them and offered to teach them how to be better fighters. At first they were very hesitant but then they figured that Lilie was really trying to be nice, even though they had treated her like the way they had. They began to train together and she was teaching them some really good moves. They were soon better fighters, just because of a 16 year old girl that they tried to pick up on.

The day something did go wrong was when Rufus would soon learn that he should never underestimate Lilie Moy and start doing what she says. It was the day he nearly got himself killed.

It was cloudy day and there was a light drizzle outside. Hardly anyone was outside in the rain, yet some were running their rounds like they were suppose to. Lilie was in Rufus's office, just looking out at the ocean while the Vice President was looking over some documents for new weapons that they were going to build. Dark Nation was lying on a couch, resting her eyes. But she soon lift her head, just staring at the door. Lilie glanced over at her but said nothing.

Suddenly the door slammed open making its occupants jump and look very alert. It was one of the Captains of the guards. He was hurrying over, looking very afraid. "Mr. Vice President! We need to get you to the safe floor! We have intruders!" He said quickly.

Immediately, Lilie jumped to action. She rushed over to Rufus's side and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Shinra! Time to go!"

Rufus began to protest as she dragged him towards the door. "Lilie! This is nonsense! There's no safer place than right here! There's no way that..." He didn't get to finish.

Because just as they reached the door, guards quickly appeared, firing down the hall. "It's not clear! They're down the hall!" One yelled.

Lilie quickly turned around, pulling Rufus back into the office. "Damn it, Lilie! Just let go of me! You're ruining my suit!" The Vice President snapped, jerking out of her grip. Lilie gave him a cool look. "Rufus! Hell with the suit! You can afford a new one! But right now we have to get you out of here!" She snapped as she grabbed his arm again and pulled him towards the emergency stairway. "Dark Nation! Come on!" She called. The large black panther immediately ran after her.

The three quickly began hurrying up the stairs while the guards were either blocking off the room or running after them. Lilie quickly pulled Rufus after her up the stairs, even though he protested. He would have rathered stay in his office and fought. He wasn't a bad fighter but that wasn't what she had been ordered to do. She had been ordered to make sure that he stayed alive and not died. They eventually came to the end of the line when the stairs ended up on the sixth floor of the base. Lilie made Rufus stand against the wall while she looked out in the hall. There were people running from here to there, some were screaming as they heard the gunshots in the base.

"I don't see anyone but we can't be sure. Stay right here while I'll..." Lilie was saying.

Rufus just straightened his jacket. "Don't be stupid, Lilie! They think I'm in my office still! They're all down stairs still fighting my guards." He said as he pushed past her and walked out into the hall way.  
"Rufus! Damn it! Just listen to me for once in your life!" Lilie snapped as she followed after him.  
Rufus just smirked at her. "I'm the boss, you're the employee. I'm the one that's suppose to give orders..."

**Bam!**

The blonde when sailing backwards as the bullet had been fired and slammed into his chest. His face was in complete shock after what had just happened. "Rufus!" Lilie screamed before she yanked out the gun she had inside her jacket and fired several rounds in the direction where the bullet had come from. Her bullets hit the assassin hard, sending him flying to the ground. Immediately Dark Nation pounced on the man and began tearing him to shreds. Lilie quickly hurried over to Rufus's side and placed her hands on his chest. "Rufus! Damn it!" She screamed as she began to search for his wound. She saw where the bullet had hit so she ripped open his jacket only to freeze.

He was wearing a bullet proof vest.

"Ow! Damn it! That still hurt!" Rufus groaned as he slapped a hand over the bullet hole in the vest. Lilie ignored him and opened up the vest to see if the bullet had gone through. It hadn't.

"Freeze!"

She did. She just looked up to see another assassin right there, aiming a gun towards her head. "Don't move! Just stand up, girl, and back away from Shinra!" He had snapped.

Lilie looked back down at Rufus, who was looking just as uneasy. They met each other's eyes, and the blonde slowly nodded for her to do so. Lilie just frowned but she slowly stood up, while he started to get to his feet.

"So I suppose you're not going to tell me why you're attacking Junon Harbor, are you?" Rufus asked as he stood up. He sort of regretted it for a second. The assassin just glared at him before he slammed his gun across Rufus's face, sending him staggering against the wall. Lilie immediately stood in between them, her Psis in hand. "Don't you touch him again!" She snapped.

The man just aimed his gun at her. "Get out of my way, bitch! Shinra is going to die for what his stupid company did!" He snapped.

Rufus was touching his fattening lip and spitting out blood from his mouth. "And do tell me what the hell my company did because I'm dying to know." He said ignoring the looks he was getting.

"Oh! Don't tell me you don't know! Your stupid company destroyed my home town just because of some stupid Mako Reactor blew up! Well, guess what man! My people die, you die!" He snapped and started to pull the trigger.

Lilie quickly moved. She spun in a half circle and slammed her foot into the man's face, making him fly to the side and the gun went off. The bullet from the gun slammed into her arm, making her scream out in pain as she clapped her hand over the wound.

"Lilie!" Rufus yelled before he yanked out his own shot gun from within his jacket and aimed at the assassin. He pulled the trigger several times, letting slugs just slam into the man's own chest. The man was dead before he even hit the ground.

Lilie slid down the wall, still clutching her arm and had her eyes tightly closed from the pain. She felt Rufus quickly bent down beside her, touching her arm. "Lilie! Damn it! Are you all right?!" She opened her eyes giving him a look. "I've been shot, what do you think?" She asked with edge. Rufus then cracked a smile and she did the same. They both silently laughed before he helped her take off her blue jacket so they could get a good look at the bullet wound. It wasn't that bad. The bullet was just barely in her arm and in an area that they could just push it out and wrap up her arm.

Later, everything was back to normal. The guards of Junon had taken care of the assassins and Lilie was getting fixed up in the Medic lab. Rufus was standing off to the side, watching her before he turned whne the door opened. In walked Tseng, Reno and Rude.

Lilie immediately smiled towards her two friends, while they just rose their eyebrows at her. "What in the hell happened to you?" The older Red head asked.

"Ah, you know. The usual. Just got shot while saving Shinra's ass." She said with a shrug. Reno only sniggered as he walked over to talk to her.

Tseng just gave her a concerned look. "Are you going to be all right, Lilie?" He asked. Lilie nodded as she looked at him. "Yeah. I'll be fine. It'll only take about a week for my arm to heal. It missed the bone, thank god." She said. Tseng faintly smiled before he looked at Rufus. "So, Mr. Vice President. I heard you also got shot. What happened?" He asked. Rufus rolled his eyes as he folded his arms. "I was being stupid." He said honestly. "I walked out in the open when Lilie told me not to and I took a bullet to the chest. Luckily, I was wearing a bullet proof vest." He said. Tseng just frowned. He glanced over at Lilie, who didn't meet his eye. She knew that he was disappointed.

"Don't blame her, Tseng. It was my own fault. She told me not to walk out into the hall and I did it anyway." Rufus told him. He had seen the look on Tseng's face.

After a minute, Tseng nodded. "Yes, you were very lucky that you wore that bullet proof vest. But what if you weren't? Or what if the assassin aimed at your head? This is why I suggested to you before that you listened to Lilie." he said. Rufus pulled a face. "Yeah, yeah. Well, just to make you relax, I'm giving you my word that I am never going to ignore her again." Everyone just smiled.

Finally the doctor was done wrapping Lilie's arm and gave her instructions to not use the arm too much. Then Lilie reported to Tseng on what had happened and what was said by the assassin that had shot her. Immediately, Tseng looked uneasy.

"Tseng, was it true what he said?" Rufus asked.

The Turk Leader sighed deeply before he slowly nodded. "It was true. At least part of it. A Mako Reactor in Gongonga had blown up and everyone inside was killed. It was said that rebels against the Mako Reactors had been responcible. They were from North Corel so your father had sent off SOLDIERs, lead by Miss Scarlett to take care of the problem. That meant, destroy the entire town of Corel. A lot of people were killed but a few survived." He then glanced over at Lilie with a sorrowful look before looking at Rufus. "Uh, Rufus, can we take a step outside? I don't think Lilie should hear this last bit."

Both Rufus and Lilie just stared at him with confusion before looking at one another. They both looked just as puzzled as the other did. Rufus then nodded and he stepped out of the room with Tseng.

Lilie looked to Reno and Rude to see if they did know what Tseng was talking about and by the looks on their faces, they did. Reno was looking away, scratching the back of his neck and Rude had lowered his head. "Reno, Rude, what's going on?"

"Uh..." Reno began but he stopped.

Rude didn't even bother saying anything.

Lilie climbed off the bed and folded her arms. "All right. Someone better speak up. Why didn't Tseng want me to hear what he was going to say?" She asked seriously.

Reno sighed as he ran his fingers through his wild hair. "Uh, Lil. You are not going to like it at all. But it's...it's your parents...they..." He couldn't finish. Lilie just stared at him with confusion.

"WHAT?!" She heard Rufus exclaim from outside the room.

She immediately looked towards the door just as Rufus stormed back into the room with a nervous looking Tseng. "Tseng! Damn it! You better tell her right now! She has got the right to hear it!" The blonde said, pointing at Lilie. Lilie just frowned as she just looked at the looks on Tseng, Reno and Rude's faces. "Someone, please tell me. What about my parents?"

There was a very long silence as each and everyone of the men looked away with sadness. Lilie was starting to feel the dread. She knew that something was wrong. Something had happened.

"Tseng, now." Rufus said in a low voice. "Or I will tell her."

The Leader of the Turks closed his eyes as he lowered his head and he slowly nodded. "All right, Rufus. You're right. Lilie does need to know." He saddly looked at Lilie. "Lilie...your parents were assigned with a team to a Mako Reactor." He said in a very hesitant way.

It hit Lilie on what he was trying to say. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell. She slowly unfolded her arms and let them fall at her sides. She could feel her heart dropping as the thoughts rolled around in her mind. "Wh-what...what are you t-trying to say, Tseng? What Mako Reactor were they at?" She asked uneasily. The pain already in her tone.

Tseng sighed wearily as he shook his head. "You already know what Mako Reactor, Lilie. Please don't make me say it." He said sadly.

Tears were stinging Lilie's eyes as she slowly shook her head. She couldn't believe it. "N-no. That...that can't be t-true. Please, Tseng. Don't tell me that...that they're..."

"I'm so sorry, Lilie. But they are. They were inside the Gongona Mako Reactor when it blew up. They didn't survive. Your father died immediately while your mother lived for a few hours. But she passed away as soon as the medics managed to get her out from under a large mako pipe." Tseng said softly. Lilie just stared at him with pain in her eyes, her body already shaking. She slowly stepped back away from both Tseng and Rufus, who looked at her with concern. "Lilie, I know..." The Turk Leader began. But Lilie wasn't going to listen. She covered her mouth to keep herself from sobbing out loud and took a deep breath through her nose. Then she turned and hurried out.

Reno winced and started to follow but stopped when Rude grabbed his arm. "She needs time alone." He told him. Tseng slowly nodded. "He's right. She needs to be alone." He said softly. Rufus just shook his head and he sighed.

Lilie rushed into her room, managing to ignore every single person that had been watching her as she rushed past them. As soon as she was in her room, she slammed the door shut and threw herself onto her bed, bursting with tears. "NO! Gods, no!" She screamed into her pillow. She could feel herself just trembling as she let her pain out. She felt her tears running down her cheeks and falling onto her pillow.

She was in a lot of pain. This was pain she had never felt before. It was so much different from the bullet wound in her arm. This pain was so excruciating. She had felt it once before when she had learned of Sephiroth's death. But this one was so much worst. Her parents were dead. She was alone. She knew that she had no more family in the world. She did know that her mother had an uncle somewhere in the world, but it was rumored that he was dead. And Lilie never really knew anything about him. Her mother had never told her about him and she never asked about him. She was always so happy being with her parents. And now they were gone. She was all alone.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter 8:**

Three days had passed and Lilie never came out of her room. No one bothered her, knowing that she was still in grieving. Tseng had stopped by a few times, knocking on the door to see if she was all right. But wouldn't answer. He knew that she was still alive and had not killed herself, as some had rumored about. He could hear her sobbing every time he knocked on the door.  
Reno had even stopped by, trying the door a few times to see if it were unlocked but it was locked every time. He tried to talk to Lilie through the doors a few times but she never said a word back.  
She was pretty much out of action while in her grieving. Tseng and the other two Turks stuck around to take over for her until she was ready to get back to work. But after three days, Tseng was starting to get very worried. He was starting to wonder if he was going to need to replace Lilie with a different Turk. There was a very good chance that she was not going to want to be a Turk anymore. He had even talked to Rufus about getting a new Turk for him but the blonde refused to have another bodyguard.

"Sir, I just don't think that Lilie will be able to fullfill her duties when she's in this kind of stage. It's been almost a week and she needs to get over it. I'm just afraid that..." Tseng had been saying.

Rufus shook his head as he poured himself a drink. "No, Tseng. I won't accept any other bodyguards. I want Lilie to be the bodyguard for me. No one else."

"But if she can't..."

The blonde gave Tseng an icy stare. "Tseng, she can and she will. For many years now, I had taunted her, saying that she was never going to make Turk. Do you know want to know why I teased her like that?"

There was a long pause before Tseng tilted his head. "Why, sir?" He asked in a low voice.

Rufus lift his chin higher. "Because I knew that she could be one. I taunted her because I wanted her to push harder at being a Turk. She was so determined to show me that I was wrong. She thought I thought that she wasn't Turk material when I knew that she was. That's why, Tseng." He slowly shook his head. "I am not going to give up on her, all right? So don't you dare think about giving up on her. If you give up hope on one very strong willed Turk like Lilie, then you give hope on yourself. You're the one who knew that she could do it too. Remind yourself of what those other Turk Trainees said to her, did to her. They tried their hardest to break Lilie and to make her think that she was too young for Turks. Don't let them win."

Tseng finally smiled after a long while and he nodded. "You're right, Rufus. I won't give up on Lilie." He then frowned. "But if we're both wrong..."

"Don't worry about it, Tseng. She'll snap out of it soon." he turned away. "Believe me. She will."

* * *

Lilie was laying on her bed asleep. She had never been so tired like she was now. She had spent three days crying and sleeping. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her cloths since she found out about her parents. She hadn't left the room or ate. She knew that everyone was getting worried about her. She had heard Tseng and Reno knock on her door a few times to check on her. She just couldn't find herself to calling out to them. 

It was very early when the morning she learned how to respect Rufus. She had been sleeping of course but when she heard the strike of a match, she jolted awake and just stared into the darkness. She listened hard to what she believed someone moving around the room.

Without another word, she lift her head and looked around the room only to see someone walking over with a candle. It took a long moment to recognize the face but then she did recognize him. Rufus was looking at her with concern as he walked over to her. She immediately frowned and lowered her head again, to ignore him.

"Morning." Rufus whispered to her as he set the candle down on the bed side table.

Lilie didn't answer as she just stared off into the darkness. She could see Rufus sitting down in the chair next to her bed, facing her. She then closed her eyes, pretending to go back to sleep. Rufus was quiet for a long time before he shook his head. "Lilie, I'm really sorry about your parents. But you can't do this to yourself. You can't just stay in this room, wasting away." He said in a low voice.

Lilie opened her eyes again and practically glared at him. "What would you know?" She asked in a deadly tone.

Rufus didn't seem fazed by her reaction. He just shook his head before he leaned back into his chair. "Lilie, you know how my relationship is like with my old man. You know how he treats me like shit, right? Well, what you don't know is that you don't know about my relationship with my mother." He told her.

Lilie only stared at him. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know anything about his mother. In fact, she had never seen her at all. She didn't say anything as she just watched Rufus.

Rufus slowly nodded before he ran his fingers through his hair. "I know what your thinking. Why hasn't anyone ever seen her before, right?" He paused but Lilie still didn't say anything. "Well, she's in an ICU. She's dying as we speak, Lilie. So you can't say how I don't know what you're going through. But instead talking about that, let me tell you what my relationship was like with her. When she wasn't sick, she cared for me more than anyone will ever know. She taught me how to play the piano, she played with me when my father didn't want her to. She was always there when I needed her. She was the best mother I've ever known."

There was a long silence between the two. Lilie turned a little to lay on her back. "What's wrong with her?" She whispered.

"She has a bad heart. She had a heart attack when I was ten. She has been bed ridden for all these years now. She's wasting away, Lilie. I can't let her suffer anymore. But I don't want her to leave me. Because she's the only family I have left that actually cares about me." Rufus paused. "Your parents wouldn't want you to do that. They would want you to live on."

Lilie looked towards the ceiling. "How in the hell would you know what they wanted?" She asked with a little edge.

"Because I've spoken to your father about death before."

She looked at him with a frown, while he shook his head. "Your father told me once that if anything were to happen to them, they would never want you to grieve for so long. They wanted you to live your life the way you wanted to. They don't want you to waste your life away while grieving for their deaths." Rufus ran his fingers through his hair. "Lilie, I'm not one that likes to admit anything but I need you right now. All right? You are my bodyguard and you need to do your job. I know I kept saying that I didn't need you as my bodyguard but seriously, I really do. So get your ass out of that bed and guard me." He said with a smirk.

Lilie narrowed her eyes at him but she was finally cracking a smile. She finally sat up and just looked at him. "All right. But you have to make a deal with me. If I continue guarding you, you have to stop teasing me and you have to do what I tell you when I tell you. Do we have a deal?"

Rufus rolled his own eyes but he nodded. "All right. I'm glad to see that you're back to normal." he said in a teasing way. Lilie only smiled before she rubbed her eyes. "Man, what time is it?" She asked. Rufus shrugged. "It's still really early. So you can go back to sleep for a while. But you better make sure your up later and you're ready to be my bodyguard again."

"Will do, Shinra." Lilie said before she punched his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" Rufus asked rubbing his arm. Lilie only smirked at him. "For ignoring my orders and getting me shot. Just be glad that I didn't hit you my hardest. You would probably be down on the ground, crying." She said. Rufus only gave her a dull look. "I don't cry."

"You will if I hit you." And he grumbled.

Later in the morning, Lilie had finally climbed out of bed and took a long hot shower. It felt good to be clean again. After that, she climbed out and pulled on her other Turk suit, while the first was getting cleaned. She paused to look the mirror. She looked a little older now that she had gone through her parents' death. But she forced a smile as she looked at herself. She would get through this just fine. She knew that she would. Without another word, she left her room and headed straight for Rufus's office.

As she walked, she saw several people watching her. It was clear that they had heard what had happened to her parents and they were all giving her their sympathies. It made her smile. Maybe she wasn't alone as she thought. But still...

Finally, she reached the office, pausing to make sure that she was all in order and then she pushed the doors open and walked right in. Everyone inside looked up to see who was intruding but then they all smiled. It was just the three Turks, a few of the other Heads and of course, the Vice President himself.  
"Forgive me for my long absense, Mr. Vice President. It won't happen again. Now, go back to what you were doing." Lilie said as she walked over to Rufus's side, who just gave her a faint smile. "You are forgiven, Miss Moy. Now then..." and he went back to explaining something. Lilie just stood tall right behind him, just like the Turk she was. She saw the smiles on her friends's faces that they gave her.

After the meeting, Lilie was walking behind Rufus, while he was speaking to some of the Head of Security of Junon Harbor about the security now. It peeved the Head quite a bit that he was learning that the Turks were now in charge of security but he knew better to not argue.

"Lilie."

Lilie paused to see who was addressing her. It was Tseng with Reno and Rude. She glanced at Rufus, who gave her a nod and stood off to the side with the Head, talking more about the security changes. Lilie just looked back at Tseng. "Yeah?"

Tseng only gave her a faint smile. "I'm glad you're back. Are you going to be okay?"

Lilie nodded as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Yes, Tseng. I'll be just fine. Don't worry about me too much. I just needed to cool my head for a little while. But I'll do just fine watching over Rufus and making sure he doesn't get himself killed." Tseng smiled and nodded.

Reno then stepped up and threw his arm around Lilie's shoulders. "Yeah! You'll be fine! You are one tough broad, you know that?" He then yelped as Lilie pinched his arm.

"Don't call me a broad, Reno." she remarked moodily.

Everyone just laughed and shook their heads. "That's the Lilie we know." Reno grumbled as he rubbed where she had pinched him. Again everyone laughed. Lilie then looked over at Rufus, who was looking back at her as he spoke with the Head. She gave him a faint smile and he returned it with a nod. Things were going to be very different from now on.


	10. Chapter Nine

**A/N: Hey, everyone. Sorry I've been making you wait for this update. It's been awhile, I know. But I'm back and ready for some action. Today, I'll probably be putting up two chapters. But before I do, this chapter will probably be a little fluffy. As it says in the first line of the chapter, things really are going to change between Lilie and Rufus.

* * *

****Chapter 9:**

Things really did change between Lilie and Rufus after their talk about death and living on. They were more friendly around each other and they actually talked to each other without fighting. Sure, they had a few arguements, but that was normal. People were finding it amazing that they stopped being enemies and started being friends. But things were going to change quite dramatically and very fast.  
It had nearly been a year during their stay in Junon. Lilie was now 17 years old, soon going on 18 and Rufus was now 21, officially an adult. Their relationship were still at the same pace. They annoyed one another once in a while. But they did get along quite well. Until an terrible impact was about to happen.

It was a nice day, yet the sky were thick with clouds and the sun was barely shinging through them. Lilie was escorting Rufus towards his office, like always. Dark Nation right beside her. There had not been any more attacks on Junon Harbor like there had been a year ago. So everyone was relaxed again. There hadn't been anymore threats against Rufus, but there had been against the company. But the threats were immediately taken care of by the Soldiers. Lilie then noticed an officer hurrying towards them and she tensed. She didn't remember this one before. He was either new or he wasn't apart of them at all. She even saw Dark Nation tense, her hackles starting to rise.

"Mr. Vice President!" The officer said, saluting the blonde man, who stopped and let his hands fall at his sides. Rufus just looked at the officer like he did with everyone except Lilie and some of the Turks. His eyes were very cold and he always wore a serious look on his face. "What?" He asked coldly. The officer cringed a little but found himself quickly. "You have an emergency call from Midgar, sir." He said holding out a PHS.

Rufus glanced over his shoulder at Lilie, who was looking very alert but he took it and put it against his ear. "This is Vice President, Rufus Shinra."  
There was a long pause before his seriousness immediately melted he looked surprised. "What?" He asked. Another long pause before he looked upset about something. "Very well! I will be there as soon as I can." He hung up and tossed the PHS back at the officer. He then turned his icy blue eyes onto another officer, a Captain. "Captain! Have the helecoptor pilot ready the chopper." he turned and looked at Lilie. "We're going to Midgar right now." He said in a stern tone.

Lilie just frowned at him. "Is something wrong?" She asked as she followed him back the way they came to where his suite was. Rufus nodded as he quickened his pace. "Yes." He glanced over at her. "That was the doctor that is taking care of my mother. He told me that she's dying. I have to be there before she lets go." He then hurried into his room, Lilie pausing with a deep frown.

They rode in the helecoptor, looking out at the ground below as it quickly flew over the mountains towards Midgar. Lilie couldn't help but glance over at the urgent look on Rufus's face. He wasn't looking too happy right at the moment. She could see the sadness in his eyes and she couldn't blame him for being so upset. He was about to lose his mother. How could he not be upset?

The chopper finally landed on the helepad near the Midgar Shinra Mansion. Rufus immediately stepped out, ignoring the protests of Lilie and hurried towards the house. Lilie couldn't do anything but just follow close behind. They both hurried through the doors of the mansion and started through the halls. This had been the very first time Lilie had ever been in Shinra Mansion. She couldn't help but look around as they went through the halls. It was very large and quite elegant. The Shinras really did live in style. After all, they were the richest family on the Planet.  
Finally they reached the top level of the house and hurried into a well lit room. The room was quite extraordinary. The curtains hanging over the windows were made of red velvet and the walls were such a lovely creme color with golden painted boundaries. There was a large white wardrobe sitting on one side of the room, near a large closet and there was a golden makeup stand with bottles of perfume and a minature rack with elegant jewelry hanging on them. But Lilie's eyes weren't on those.  
As soon as she had entered the room with Rufus and Dark Nation, she looked right over at the bed, that had been surrounded with maids and a doctor. And lying on the bed was a very sickly woman.

There was no doubt that once before, she had been one of the most beautiful women. She had golden blonde hair, yet it was a little puffy from lying in bed for so long. Her pale skin had once been very fair but now it was deathly pale. She had dark circles under her eyes, which were closed. Her lips were crimson pink and they were parted as she tried to breath. She was wearing a silky red night gown under the silky white sheets.

Immediately Rufus hurried over to the bedside, looking pained to see her like this. He was quiet for a minute before he looked around. "Everyone, leave us. Only Miss Moy can stay." He ordered. Everyone just looked around before they all filed out of the room. Lilie just looked around before she stood near the wall, watching the two. Rufus bent down beside the bed and gently took his mother's hand. He was frowning, looking very pained. He didn't even look up at Lilie as she slowly stepped a little closer to see the woman better. He just held her hand, then he gently touched her cheek.

The woman's face twisted a little before her eyes weakly opened. Lilie held in a gasp. Her eyes were more bluer than her's. They were the color of the deepest and purest oceans. And they looked straight at her. Mrs. Shinra frowned for a second before she turned her eyes towards Rufus and then she faintly smiled. "Rufus..." she whispered as she weakly took her hand out of his and touched his face.

Rufus just faintly smiled back as he took her hand again. "Hello, mother." He said softly as he began to caress her hand. He tilted his head, still looking deeply into his mother's eyes. "I came as soon as I could. How are you feeling?"

Mrs. Shinra just smiled as she closed her eyes for a second then reopened them. "I'm feeling just the same, my son. I'm fading away. I'm not as strong as I used to be." She said. Rufus frowned, looking pained again. "Don't say that. You're going to be fine."

"Oh, don't worry so much, my dear Rufus. You know as well as I do that everyone dies in the end. Some day you will. But that won't be for a very long time. After you marry and have children. Don't be sad. I can see the sadness in your eyes. You must remember, no matter where I go, I will always be with you." She said softly. She then looked back Lilie, looking very interested and confused. "Who is your friend?"

Rufus glanced over his shoulder at Lilie, who immediately stepped back but stopped as the woman motioned for her to come closer. The pretty Turk hesitated before she slowly walked to the front of the bed, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Mother, this is my Turk bodyguard, Lilie Moy. She's been assigned to protecting me while in Junon." Rufus said softly as he looked back at his mother.  
Mrs. Shinra's smiled faded a little but then she shook her head. "Oh. That's a shame. I was hoping that she was your girlfriend. It would have been nice to meet the one you're destined to be together before I go." She smiled even more. "You're quite a pretty one though, Lilie."

Lilie felt her cheeks reddened but she did her best to fight off the blush. She only smiled at Mrs. Shinra as she bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, ma-am. You're very beautiful, yourself."

The sickly woman smiled, almost laughing softly, which it turned into a cough. Immediately Rufus looked worried as did Lilie. But then Mrs. Shinra smiled again. "I appreciate what you just said, Lilie, but I'm very sick. You can't really be beautiful while being sick and dying like I am." She said softly. Lilie shook her head. "But it's the truth, Ma-am. You are beautiful. And you will forever will be." She said. The woman gave Lilie a very soft smile then looked at Rufus. "Rufus, don't you let this one go. Not ever. She's very special."

Lilie felt the urge to leave now. She felt her face flushing hot red and she needed air. She just looked at Rufus who was looking over his shoulder towards her, but his eyes were on the ground. "Um, I'll just leave you two alone for a while." She said before she turned and started towards the door.

"Lilie..." Mrs. Shinra called softly after her. The Turk stopped and turned back. The sickly woman was still smiling. "You take care of my son, all right? Make sure he does all right when I'm gone. Will you do that for me?"

Lilie didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. All she did was faintly nod and then she left the room, joining everyone outside. She could feel her heart pounding. That had been the most saddest and awkward feeling she had ever felt. She didn't like to see people dying like that. That had been the main reason why she left. But the other reason was she had started to feel embarrassed. Mrs. Shinra had asked her, Lilie Moy, a Turk, to take care of her son as if she was his girlfriend. For some reason, Lilie was feeling very weird by the gesture. In a way she felt very honored. But then again, she didn't. She didn't know what the feeling she was feeling was. It confused her.  
It had been a very long time, almost a half an hour before Rufus came back out. He was looking very upset and Lilie could definitely see how damp his eyes had gotten since he was in there. But he was trying his best to wipe them away so that no one would notice. Luckily no one really had. Only Lilie. But she didn't say anything about it. Her attention was just on his face while the others were bowing their heads. They all knew that it was passed. Mrs. Shinra had finally passed away. And Rufus had watched it. It was a sad day for all.

* * *

The funeral took place only two days later. It was a very cloudy and rainy day. Mrs. Shinra was being buried in the Shinra Private Cemetary. Only a few people were attending. President Shinra and Rufus, of course, being the guests of honor. A few of the Heads of each department were there too. Lilie could see that Tseng was standing off with another Turk that Lilie didn't even know. Reno and Rude were there, standing in the rain with sorrowful looks on their faces. They didn't seem to care that they were getting soaked.  
Even Reeve was there, along with the other Heads. Though both Heidigger and Scarlett didn't look sad at all. Heidigger was too busy reading something under his umbrella and Scarlett was examining her nails. She looked quite cheerful actually. It made Lilie want to be sick.  
Most of everyone were wearing black for the occassion. Even Rufus, when he usually wore white. The only ones not wearing black were President Shinra, Scarlett and even Heidigger. Now that Lilie was actually paying attention to the president, he didn't look too sad. Not like Rufus was. He was just puffing on his cigar, listening to the Preacher make his prayers for his deceased wife.  
However, the look on Rufus's face was every so haunting to Lilie. His eyes were usually twinkling with delight and full of mischievous life but right now, they looked very tired and dead. He was sitting up very tall, doing his best to holding back the tears that only Lilie could see. Lilie was standing off to the side, holding onto an umbrella, listening carefully to the preacher and watching the dead emotions on Rufus's face. She had never see him like that before. And she hoped that she would never have to again.

After the funeral, everyone had gone back to the Shinra Mansions for the after viewing. People were chatting quietly to one another while Lilie just sat by herself in the corner. She was sipping a mug of hot coffee, trying to think of what might happen after that. She knew that Mrs. Shinra had been the only one that Rufus had been close to. And now that she was gone, what would happen?

Lilie then noticed Rufus starting to leave the room. He was slowly making his way out of the room, only to stop when President Shinra stopped him. They were speaking about something but Lilie couldn't really read lips. So she decided to get a little closer to hear better. She knew it was probably none of her business but curiousity was always her weakness. She weaved in and out of people before stopping when she was in earshot of the two.

"I know how hard this might be on you, Rufus. But think of this as an opportunity." President Shinra said, waving his hand with his cigar. His other hand was stuffed into his pocket.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rufus asked in a quiet tone, almost sounding dead.

The President shrugged lazily as he took another puff off his cigar. "Well, now that your mother is gone, we can spend more time together. I can remarry and you can stop being the little boy she always treated you as." He said. Lilie saw something hot spark up in Rufus's eyes. He was not liking this conversation at all. His eyes narrowed dangerously at his father before he shook his head. "Old Man, let me tell you something. Mother will never be gone. She is here right now, with us. You don't see her because you are blind." He said darkly. President Shinra now wasn't looking pleased. "Don't be a fool, Rufus. Your mother is dead. It's time to move on." He said just as darkly.

Rufus glared at his old man before he shook his head. "She'll never die. Not as long as she remains in our hearts." He said quietly.

President Shinra only rolled his eyes. "You are more weak than I thought. You are so pampered and babyish. I should have never let you spend so much time with that woman. I knew she was going to make you into a wishy washy boy." He said as he turned away.  
Rufus only glared hard at him as he watched him go over to talk with more guests. Lilie could see how much hatred that was in his eyes. He hated his father so much. There was no doubt about that. She glanced after the President to see him passing by Scarlett, who was smiling at him as he passed and he returned the smile. No one else really noticed but Lilie had watched the President brush his hand against Scarlett's hips and she smirked even more. Feeling very disgusted, she looked back towards Rufus, who took was looking disgusted. It was no doubt he had just watched what his father had done. Without even glancing towards Lilie, he turned and started towards the stairs.

Lilie stood there for the longest time, watching him go before she looked around. No one was watching her, so she turned and followed Rufus out of the room. She walked up the stairs, watching as he went up them. He didn't even seem to notice that she was following him. The soft music downstairs were starting to fade away as they both travelled up the stairs until Rufus started down the hall on the fifth floor. Lilie just watched him from around the corner as he went to a door and pushed it open. He stood there for the longest time in the door way, just looking in then he stepped into the room.

Lilie paused before she walked over to the door and carefully peeked in. The room that Rufus had entered was no doubt one of his old rooms when he was a child. There were toys sitting in a box in a corner. But Rufus wasn't looking at the toys. He was looking up a picture of his younger self and of his mother.

After a minute of watching him, Lilie stepped into the room, folding her arms around herself. She couldn't help but just watch him. She pitied him for many things. She knew how he felt because she had lost her parents the year before. She knew what kind of pain he was in.

"This picture was taking after my sixth birthday." Rufus spoke up after a long time.

It had startled Lilie when he suddenly spoke up but she then realized that he was looking at her through the glass's reflection. So he must have known that she was there the entire time. She felt her cheeks heat up but she said nothing as she stepped closer. "I remember the day too well. Old Man was away on business, or that's what he said that he was doing. Mother had began to teach me how to ride a chocobo." Rufus said softly as he just stared at the picture.

After a while, he turned around and looked right at Lilie, who was watching him. They were both quiet for a long time before he shook his head, looking around the room. "I remember when I was seven I became very sick with phenomia. I had went out without a jacket during the winter and played in the snow. Eventually I got sick from the cold and I had to stay in bed for a week. Mother never left my side unless she really had to. She kept me company."  
Another long silence, then Rufus looked at Lilie. "Lilie, is this what it really feels like to lose someone that you love so much?" He asked, sounding pained.

Lilie knew what kind of pain he was talking about so she nodded. "Yes." She spoke softly. "It'll hurt for a long time but it'll soon go away."

"I don't want to feel this kind of pain anymore. How do you make it go away?" Rufus asked. He sounded so pitiful and it would have made anyone else just laugh at him. But Lilie wasn't someone else. She slowly shook her head. "I've never actually tried to get rid of the pain. Until someone actually came around and made me see past the death. You." She whispered as she walked over to stand in front of him. They just stared at one another. "To make sadness go away, you have to find happiness." Lilie added.

There was a long pause before Rufus slowly reached up and touched her cheek. The skin under his fingers started to burn. Lilie could feel her heart now pounding against her chest as she looked down at his hand and then back into his icy blue eyes. There was something in his eyes that Lilie couldn't explain at all. She had never seen anyone ever look at her like that before. No one. But she had seen it once. When her father looked at her mother. She could see the passion in Rufus's eyes and it made her feel so light headed. She could feel butterflies in her stomache as she lazily closed her eyes before opening them again.

"Lilie...do you want to know what my mother said once you left the room before she died?" Rufus whispered to her. Slowly, she nodded. "She said..." He paused for a second as he just stared into her eyes. "...she said that you were the one." And without another word, he pressed his lips up against her's.

Lilie felt her entire world just flip right out from under her feet. She gasped between their kiss and he moved to the second level of the kiss. She felt him kiss her so passionately that it brought strange and unusual feelings to her. She felt so dizzy that she had to wrap her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling down.  
Eventually, during the kiss, Lilie felt her knees starting to give out under her and she felt like she was going to fall. At first she thought that Rufus was going to just let her fall but instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her even closer to him. They both ended up staggering back against the half open door, which immediately slammed shut from the impact. It made both of them open their eyes and stop kissing as they looked at it. Rufus and Lilie then looked at one another, almost worried that someone might have heard the door and came looking but then they both just laughed softly as they just stared at one another. Once again, Rufus Shinra kissed Lilie with the same passion.

They soon found theirselves lying on Rufus's old small bed, luckily it was big enough for them. They were both just kissing with the fires of passion. Lilie had never felt anything like she was feeling now. But it was definitely bringing happiness to her. She was actually enjoying herself, even though it was with Rufus. But that was what made it even better. Now that she was kissing him, she finally realized that what she had been feeling ever since the night Rufus had talked to her about her parents's death. She knew that she had fallen in love. And it seemed that way for Rufus as well. Other wise he wouldn't be kissing her.

Eventually, she felt Rufus's fingers touching the buttons of her black blouse. She never stopped him as he unbuttoned the first four buttons before he did stop. He broke the kiss, looking down at her. Lilie just sighed before she looked up in his eyes. They just stared at one another, both almost out of breath.

"Lilie..." Rufus groaned.

He didn't need to finish what he wanted to say because Lilie knew what he was trying to tell her. She only smiled at him before she pulled him back into another kiss. She left a trail of kisses across his cheek before pausing to nibble his ear. "Go ahead, Rufus." She managed to whisper before she returned to kissing him.  
She heard Rufus groan again before he actually grabbed the opening of her shirt and yanked it open. She heard the buttons fly off the shirt and it made her laugh. She eventually felt his hands starting to run across her skin, leaving only hot trails, almost like a fire. She just clapped her hand onto his back, holding him closer as he began to kiss her neck and the started going down. Lilie only smiled. This was going to be a night she would never forget. She knew it.

It had lasted for almost an hour before Rufus fell onto the bed right next to her. They were both covered in sweat and were panting from the experience that they had just shared together. Lilie had closed her eyes and was trying to hold back a laugh. They were both quiet for a long moment before the blonde sat up and leaned over her again. His eyes meeting her's. He was smiling down at her, as she smiled back up at him.  
"You know...I thought you hated me." He whispered to her as he gently ran his finger along her jaw line. I'll be very honest. Ever since I was 13 years old, I had a crush on you. That's why I teased you. Love takes some very interesting turns along the way, you know." Lilie couldn't help but laugh at that. She noticed that he was frowning at her. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. It's just so funny how we turned out. One minute, we hate each other's guts and the next we're having sex together. I've never actually dreamed that this would ever happen between us." She said. Rufus now chuckled under her and they laid there for a few more minutes before they decided that they needed to go back to the viewing before anyone actually got suspicious.

They quickly dressed before making their way back down the stairs. "So what's going to happen after this? Are we just going to go back to the way we used to be, hating each other?" Lilie asked as she pulled her hair back up into a bun. Rufus was fixing his jacket collar before glancing at her with a smirk. "After this, Lilie, I don't think I can ever hate you again. Not even if you slapped me and called me a horney bastard." He then frowned while she laughed. "Okay. Maybe that's not entirely true."

Lilie shook her head while still laughing. "I get what you're trying to say. But what is everyone else going to think?" She asked. They both stopped on the third floor, looking at one another.

Rufus then wrapped his arm around her and pinned her against the wall, while smiling at her. "I couldn't give a damn what anyone else would say. If someone told me that I was being foolish, then I would agree with them. I'm a fool in love and that's all that matters."

"Rufus," Lilie paused. ", the only problem is people will come up with many reasons if they actually found out about us. You have to remember, you are my boss and I am your bodyguard. I'm suppose to be guarding you, not sleeping with you." She then closed her eyes when Rufus bent over her and kissed her neck.

"Then you can guard me while in my bed. I'm going to do what my mother told me and not let you go, Lilie." He whispered against her neck.

Lilie just laughed while shaking her head. She gently pushed him away when she heard voices. "Rufus, as much as I am enjoying this right now, I don't want anyone to find out. I'll never hear the end of it from Reno. Believe me." she said rolling her eyes. Rufus kept his hands on her waist before he nodded. "I see what you mean. I'll probably hear the Old Man say something against it too. So, what'll we do?" He asked. Lilie bit her lip before she smiled. "We don't tell anyone." She said before she pulled him into a kiss. Rufus only chuckled against his lips before returning the kiss. Their relationship was really starting to get interesting.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter 10:**

Things were looking up for Lilie and Rufus. They never did let anyone on about their affair together. They kept quiet and always acted like nothing had changed between them. When they returned to Junon, they went on doing what they always did. They never acted like nothing was happening between them, especially out in the public. But when they were left alone, with no one around or no security cameras to catch them, they shared the passion that they had been dying to share all day long. The only one that caught on was Dark Nation. But who was she going to tell?

After a week of being back in Junon, Rufus had decided that he wanted to go out to dinner with Lilie. But knowing that they had a deal on not telling anyone, they had to make it a secret date. So Rufus made the arrangements of having dinner sent up to his room, where they would eat together.  
Lilie did her hair up quite nicely, though she was wearing her Turk uniform. She was on her way to Rufus's room after making her rounds. It was then she spotted Reno walking around down the halls. He grinned at her as soon as he saw her. "Hey, Lil. How's it going?"

Lilie only smiled at him as she stopped in front of him. She just shrugged. "I'm doing all right. What are you doing here?" She asked. Reno just shook his head. "Ah, nothing. Thought I'd come check on you. Plus some of the Turks are meeting together at a bar. It's one of Tseng's favorite places." He then grinned. "Hey, why don't you come with us?"

The young red haired Turk pulled a face as she thought about the date with Rufus. Truely she wanted to join her friend, since she hadn't seen him for awhile but she also wanted to go to dinner with Rufus. "I'm sorry, Reno. I can't. I'm kind of busy tonight." She said. Reno then rose an eyebrow, giving her a very suspicious look. "And why not? What are you doing tonight?" He then grinned. "Or should I say, **who** are you doing tonight?"

Lilie gave him a look for that one before she punched his arm. "Gawd, Reno! You need to get your mind out of the gutter!" She said, trying not to laugh.

The red head Turk just laughed his impish like laugh as he rubbed his arm. "Man, Lil. You still know how to punch. I was only kidding." He then nudged her arm. "Come on, girl. What are you really doing? Why can't you come with us?" He asked. Lilie only shook her head as she folded her arms. "I've got some work to do. I have to make my rounds every now and then. Check on Rufus to make sure he hasn't done something stupid." She said with a shrug. She could almost feel her cheeks heat up at his name. Reno just stared at her before a smirk curled on his lips. He looked like he was figuring something out. But he didn't say anything as he slowly began to back away from Lilie. He only shrugged as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, if you really can't come, then I'll just have to be on my way. You're a...busy woman, Lilie. Hope you have fun doing...doing your work." He said with a grin.

Lilie glared after him. "Reno, you better not be thinking what I think your thinking." She said after him.

Reno stopped and looked back at her with a grin. "Hey, wouldn't you want to know what I'm thinking? I'll give you a hint. I'm going to get drunk tonight and maaaaybe get lucky." He said giving her a wink.

Lilie just rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

The red haired Turk only grinned. "Well, it's not like your going to get lucky tonight, now are you? By the way, give Rufus my regards." He then turned and walked away, laughing devilishly. Lilie only stared after him with wide eyes before she shook her head and walked towards the suites.

As soon as she reached her room, she hurried in and closed the door. She quickly stripped out of her Turk suit as she went over to her closet to find something suitable to wear. It only surprised her to see what she would find just sitting there. It nearly took her breath away just seeing the beautiful red dress sitting there.  
The dress was no doubt brand new and it was a little shiny. It was made out of satin. It was noddle strapped and it seemed to be a very good fit for her.

With a smile, Lilie pulled the dress out of the closet. She found a note tied to the hanger. Without missing a beat, she took it and read the small card.

_Lilie,  
__I thought this dress would be very suitable for tonight. I  
__just know it's going to look good on you. Of course, I just  
__don't know how long you'll be in it._

Lilie laughed as she read that part.

_Anyway, come over as soon as you're ready. Dinner's probably ready and I'm awaiting your arrival. _

_Yours always,  
__Rufus_

Lilie only smiled as she took the dress off the hanger and quickly changed into it. She found a few bottles of perfume sitting on her dresser, which smelled very heavenly. She found matching shoes near the bed and she couldn't help but smile. Rufus had really gone to the fullest for this date.

As soon as she was done getting ready, she went to the door to Rufus's room from her own, she paused for a second before knocking on the door. After a minute, the door opened to reveal Rufus. He smiled as soon as he laid eyes on her then he looked her over. His mouth fell a little as his eyes searched her. Lilie only smiled at him as he studied her.

"Lilie...you look wonderful." He said breathlessly.

Lilie only smirked as she walked towards him, tapping his chest with her hand. "Don't tell me you're already getting aroused. We haven't even had dinner yet." She said. Rufus closed the door as he looked her over with a smirk. "Hey, we could always just skip the dinner." He said as he hurried after her and then wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed himself up against her and she gave him a smile. "Hey, hey, Rufus. Let's have dinner first. I'm hungry, for god's sake. I haven't eaten anything all day." She said. Rufus only laughed as he lead her to the table set up in his room.

The table was covered with silver platers and a silver candle stick with white candles in the middle. It actually looked very lovely. Rufus smiled at Lilie as he pulled out her chair. Lilie smiled right back and sat down. Her eyes on Rufus as he went to sit down in his own chair. They did talked for a little while eating, eventually they got into the conversation about their past relationship. All they could just laugh on how far they had come.

Eventually, they grew quiet, while listening to the soft music. Rufus just watched Lilie as she ate the chocolate pie that had been served for dessert. When she noticed the look he was giving her, she gave him a curious smile. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rufus shook his head as he just sat there, watching her. "Nothing. I just can't help but admire you. You're really so beautiful in so many ways. I can't help but think of how lucky I've gotten when we first met. I know we've had some major arguements that almost destroyed what is happening now. But I'm actually glad that you're here with me."

"Thank you, Rufus. I feel the same." Lilie said with a smile.

Rufus only smiled before he pushed a small silver dome towards her. "There's something I want you to have. Open it."

Lilie only gave him a sly smile as she lift the dome and looked at what was under it. She immediately caught her breath seeing the open velvet box. Resting inside the box was a silver necklace with a very beautiful light blue orb. She looked wide eyed up at Rufus, who chuckled at her expression. He just watched her as she gently touched the orb. "Oh my god." She whispered. Rufus sat back into his chair. "It belonged to my mother a long time ago. It's suppose to be a summon materia, though she never told me what it was." He said as he stood up. Lilie slowly shook her head. "Rufus, I...I can't take this...I...what can I say?" She said breathlessly. The blonde Vice President only shook his head as he gently picked the necklace up from the box and started to put it around her neck. Lilie slowly shook her head. "Rufus...I..."

"Just say that you'll take it. I want you to have it. And I'm sure that my mother would want the same. Please, take it." Rufus said as he did the clasp. He then bent over her shoulder and smiled down at her. Lilie smiled back as she touched the necklace. Then she pulled him down into a heartmelting kiss. Once again, they shared their love together and Lilie had never felt so happy in her life.

Of course, sometimes happiness was never meant to last. Especially when your love was the son of a heartless bastard, who would find out. All he had to do was look at the necklace that Lilie always wore.

Several months had passed since that night and Rufus was soon called back to Midgar. Apparently, President Shinra wanted him there for the dedication of a Shinra Medical lab. Of course, Rufus hadn't wanted to go anywhere but the president wouldn't leave him alone about it until he agreed to join the dedication.

It was well into the late summer and once again, Lilie was looking out the window, bored as ever while they were travelling over the mountain. She eventually glanced over at Rufus, who looked just as bored as she did. It was just a shame that they weren't alone together. Otherwise, they could pass the time pretty fast. It brought a smirk onto Lilie's face as she thought about Rufus's touch on her skin again. She had to look away, knowing that one of the other passengers would catch her staring at the Vice President. Like she wanted to listen to Reno start telling his perverted jokes or look at the disapproving scowl on Tseng's face. She only wondered what would happen if people actually found out about them. She could already hear Scarlett the slut screeching with rage and jealousy. That really made her smirk. It would almost be worth it just to kiss Rufus right in front of the bitch.

Finally the helecoptor arrived at the helepad sitting on top of the Medical Lab.

Immediately, everyone climbed out and they began to follow the man in white towards the stairs. Lilie was close behind Rufus with Tseng and Reno, flanked behind her. They found the President lingering with some of the Heads, chatting with the doctors that would be working at Healin Lodge. The pretty red haired Turk couldn't help but look around as they walked towards him.  
The lab was almost like a fancy hospital. She couldn't see why the President had spent his time having this place built. He was never into this sort of thing. It must have just been to improve Shinra's face. More publicity, that's all that mattered.

"Ah! Rufus! There you are! Now we can get started!" President Shinra said in a great voice. Rufus just rolled his eyes as he shared a glance with Lilie. Both of them could read each other's looks pretty well. It was clear that they both couldn't wait to sneak out together during the party.

Before the President turned away, he paused to look at Lilie. It was like he had never seen her before. It was only then did she realize he was looking straight at her chest. She could feel her entire body flush before she remembered, she was wearing the necklace that Rufus had given her. It really made Lilie's body turn from fire to ice just to think about it. Had President Shinra seen the necklace? She really hoped not. She knew how well that would look. She could be seen as a thief, stealing his dead wife's things or if he found out about their relationship...she shuddered to think of such a thing.  
It was to her luck that Reno decided to step in between them, pointing off towards someone. "Hey! Lili, check it out! Looks like Jackson's here!Let's go say hi to him!" he said, grabbing her arm. Lilie let him turn her away from President but she paused to look at Rufus. It was like she was asking for his permission to go first. After all, she was guarding him. Rufus just nodded at her to let her go before he turned back to the President.

So Lilie let Reno pull her away from the group and out the door. It confused her for a second on why they were leaving the room. But they weren't going very far so she did't worry too much. Instead, Reno just turned towards her, pausing to look around to make sure no one was watching before he reached up and touched her shirt.

Lilie jerked away from him, giving him a look. "Reno!" She scowled.

Reno just gave her a look. "Oh, shut up. It's not what you're thinking. You need to hide that damn necklace of yours better than you're doing now." He said as he reached up again and buttoned up the top buttons so that the necklace was completely hidden. Lilie just stared at him with horror and confusion. "Wh-what are you talking about?" She asked as she pulled away from him again.

"Lil, don't play me as an idiot, even though I act like one all the time. I don't know what the hell is going on with you, but I know one's for sure. If Prez Shinra sees that necklace you're wearing, you're dead meat. I know exactly whose necklace that used to belong to." He said, pointing at her throat. Lilie reached up and touched the necklace under her shirt, pulling a face. "Reno, how did you know that I had it?" She asked. Reno shook his head as he leaned against the wall. "I saw you wearing it just the other day. Luckily for you, I'm the only one that knows you have it. So, tell me the truth. Where'd you get it?"

The younger red haired Turk bit her lip, trying to think of how she was going to explain. She couldn't possibly tell Reno that Rufus had given it to her. She would never hear the end of it. "I..." She began.

Reno just shook her head, giving her a very serious look. "Don't you lie to me, Lilie. You know I can tell if you're lying or not. I've known you for a long time now and you know that I know that you can't lie for shit." He said, ignoring the look Lilie gave him. Lilie blew out a sigh. "All right, all right. Rufus gave it to me." She said in a low voice.  
Reno cocked an eyebrow as a smirk slowly began to rise on his face. "Oh, really?" He said in such a way that really irratated her. "Why would he ever do a thing like that?" Lilie didn't answer and Reno chuckled as he shook his head. "Ah. I see now. So I guessed right. You're sleeping with the enemy now? Ow!" He gasped as Lilie decked him in the chest.

"Reno!" She snapped, looking around to make sure no one had heard that. She gave Reno a cool look when he started laughing his impish laugh. "Well, I guess that answers that." He said rubbing his chest.

"Reno, please don't tell anyone. We didn't want anyone to know." Lilie said folding her arms.

Reno cleared his throat as he stood up straight again, his hand still rubbing the area where she had punched him. "Oh, don't get your panies in a twist." He quickly moved before she could punch him again. "My lips are sealed. But tell me why you want to keep it a secret? I'd think you'd be proud to be his girlfriend. I mean, there's been a lot of chicks trying to get Rufus to notice them. Now to come to think of it, that explains why he ignored all the hot chicks trying to get him to notice them."

Lilie sighed as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I just...we don't want anyone to know because look at it this way, Reno. I'm a Turk and I'm suppose to be watching him, making sure that he stays alive, not falling for him. Think of what everyone would say. His father, for god's sake."  
Reno pulled a face at the very thought. "Damn. You got a point. He'd definitely have something to say against it. He doesn't allow the whole inter-office dating thing. Just to think about you going out with the Vice Prez would make him freak."

Lilie rolled her eyes as she shifted her weight.

"Hey, I thought you guys hated each other anyway. What happened anyway?" Reno asked.

Lilie shook her head. "Things just change, Reno. You were right. He did like me. That's why he teased me for all those years." She faintly smiled. She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "What am I going to do, Reno? What if the President finds out?" She asked. Reno shook his head. "He won't find out. If you're lucky, he'll keep himself occupided with screwing Scarlett all the time."

That made Lilie pull a disgusted look. "Oh god. I think I just threw up in my mouth." She heard Reno laugh.

Before anyone of them could say anything, Reeve walked up, smiling grandly. "Hey, there you are. I was looking for you, Lilie." He said. Lilie lowered her arms, straightening her posture. Reno just stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. "Hey, Reeve. How's it hanging?" He just asked. Reeve only smiled. "It's going quite well, Reno." He turned his dark eyes onto Lilie. "Lilie, I want to show you something. You might like it."  
Lilie only tilted her head before shrugging. "Okay. We better make it quick. Who knows when the dedication will be starting." She said. Reeve nodded as he turned away. "Come on, Reno. You can see it too, if you want to." He said waving for them to follow. Reno only shrugged as he followed.

The three of them walked into a room where there was a computer set up. It was one of the medical labs. "I have permission from the President to use this computer, just to show you the final drafts." He said as he pulled out a disk and slid it into the hard drive. He played around with the computer before a picture popped up. "Lilie, meet our new friend, Cait Sith."

It was a picture of the invention that Reeve had been working on for years. A cat sitting on the back of a large Mog, its hands almost waving above its head. At first it was a wire frame design but when Reeve pushed a button, it showed the entire body of the invention and what color it was. "I've just started building it, but it will take some time to completing it. But what I've programmed him to do is to be the best spyware we may ever have. I'm programming him to be a fortune teller, like I told you before. Like you suggested, the cat bellows out commands and the Mog performs them. With the thick and heavy arms, it can do some heavy damage in a fight." Reeve explained.

Lilie looked the invention over with wonder, while Reno crinkled his nose. "What in the hell is this?" He asked, earning a smack from his friend. "Wow, Reeve! He's looking really good." Lilie said looked the cat over.

Just like they had planned, the cat was black and white with a red cape hanging from it's shoulders and a small golden crown was on its head. It had big white gloves on its paws and thin brown leather shoes on its feet. The Mog it was riding was very large and had a big body with big arms, large enough for hitting something hard. And in the cat's paw was a megaphone for yelling out commands.

"I can't wait till he's complete. What kind of personality are you going to give him?" Lilie asked as she looked at Reeve.

Reeve only smiled as he looked at her. "Well, I've been thinking about it really hard but I think the best personality that would suit him is the really friendly and outgoing type. Just the type for kids. You know?" He asked. Lilie only smiled. "Brilliant, Reeve. He's going to be a real big hit." She said. Reno just folded his arms. "Yeah, but what the hell is he?" He asked. Lilie shook her head as she looked at him. "Reeve's been working on an invention that will enhance Shinra's spying program. It's the perfect spy." She said. Reno rolled his eyes. "I doubt that. But I guess, it kind of looks cool." He then got a very demented look on his face and he stepped back while running his fingers through his hair. "Ah! What the hell am I saying?! It's looks really stupid! No doubt that no one will ever think that works for Shinra!"

Both Reeve and Lilie rolled their eyes before looking at one another with smiles. "Keep up the good work, Reeve. I can't wait to see it completed." The Turk said. Reeve only nodded as he took the disc out. "Thanks, Lilie. I have you to thank for it too. You helped me with my inspiration and with the idea for the cat. Once Cait Sith's done, I want you there to help present it to the President." He said. Lilie nodded. "Count me in, Reeve."

The door then opened to reveal Rude. "Hey, the dedication's starting. You three better come back in." He said. Everyone nodded and they went back into the main room.

After the dedication, Rufus and Lilie were on their way back towards the helecoptor when they were stopped by the President. Lilie quickly made sure that the necklace was hidden before she turned to face him. She stood tall, like the Turk she was as she looked at him.  
"Rufus, my boy! I'm glad I managed to catch you before you left." The President said.  
Rufus just lift his chin a little higher. "I'm sure. If you don't mind, we do have to get back to Junon soon. I still have some work to do." He said. President Shinra waved it away. "Actually that's what I want to talk to you about. I've read all the work that you've been doing in Junon and I'm really impressed. I want you to come back to Midgar. There's no more that can be done in Junon that you can't do back at home." He said. Rufus frowned as he eyed his father carefully. Lilie was thinking the same thing as he was. What was the President up to?

"But my work in Junon..."Rufus was saying.

Again the President waved it away. "Forget Junon. I want you back in Midgar by tomorrow. No excuses. I have work for you in Midgar. Be in Midgar by tomorrow morning." He said before he turned and walked away.

Rufus gritted his teeth as he just glared after him. Lilie stepped a little closer to his side, watching the President walk to the limo. "Rufus, you don't think he suspects something, do you?" She asked in a low whisper. Rufus just narrowed his eyes, still not looking at her. "I don't care if he suspects anything. He can't do anything to change my mind, Lilie. Not about you." He whispered right back. He shook his head before turning back towards the helecoptor. "Let's get the hell out of here. I suppose we better get packing. I want to know what the hell he has up his sleeve. So, we'll play his little game for now." He said. Lilie nodded and they went back to the helecoptor.

Unfortunately, they would soon learn what kind of trechery President Shinra had in mind.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A/N: Thanks again everyone for the reviews. Though, I'm not really getting very many reviews. All well. Anyway, in this chapter, things really start to fall apart for Lilie and Rufus, even though they were looking up. As we all know, President Shinra is a big time ASSHOLE! But you are seriously going to hate him in this chapter. **

**Anyway, read and review. Thanks.

* * *

****Chapter 11:**

When they did return to Midgar, nothing seemed to be wrong. Rufus was giving some work to do and Lilie was soon put back as a Turk. She had a few missions to do, so she was really busy to be guarding Rufus anymore. But they eventually found time to seeing each other. No one seemed to know about their relationship at all. Only Reno knew and like he had promised, he kept his mouth shut. Soon came the time for Lilie to grieve again. The day her parents had died had come again and it brought memories back to her. She was a little depressed remembering it but she knew that they wouldn't have wanted her to be so sad. She just couldn't help it though.  
Eventually, Tseng decided to take her with him to visit a very special person.

"Where are we going, Tseng?" Lilie asked as they drove down to the Slums. Tseng was driving and he hadn't said anything about what he had planned. "Don't worry right at this second. I just want you to meet someone, that's all." He said as he drove. He didn't say anything after that. Lilie just shrugged before looking out the window.

Finally, Tseng stopped near the Sector Five entrance. "We'll have to walk the rest of the way. I'm afraid the car's no use in going the rest of the way." He said. Lilie nodded as they climbed out.  
They walked down a path which was lined with garbage. No wonder the car wouldn't fit. "Tseng, why is the Slums so bad like this? Why can't we send people down here to cleaning it up?" She asked as she looked around. Tseng sighed as he walked. "That's the downside of working for Shinra. The President doesn't want the company to be wasting our time with the Slums." he said. Lilie frowned as she followed him. "But the Slums are apart of the city, Tseng. Why wouldn't he?" She asked. Tseng only shook his head. "Because those who don't have money, doesn't deserve to live in luxury. That's what the President said." Lilie only frowned at the words. 'Rufus will change all that then, when he becomes the President. He'll clean this place up. I'm sure of it.' She thought.

They finally arrived to a house that made Lilie just halt in her footsteps and stare with awe. It was the most coziest little house she had ever seen, not mention it was surrounded by the most beautiful flowers. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. "Oh, wow." Lilie murmured as she looked around. Tseng smiled down at her before shaking his head. "It's beautiful, huh? She's been working really hard with these flowers. She absolutely loves them to death and would rather die than to see them get ruined."

Lilie gave him a confused look. "She? She who?"

"You'll see. Come on." Tseng said as he walked towards the door. Lilie only watched him go before she followed. They stepped up to the door, glancing around and then they knocked on the door.

After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal a woman in her thirties. The woman looked very surprised to see the two and very afraid. Lilie could see great amount of fear in the woman's eyes and she looked ready to slam the door in their faces. "Tseng!" She gasped before making to shutting the door. Tseng quickly stopped the door from closing. "You can't have her! I won't let you take her!" The woman said in a panicky way.

Lilie's hands were already on her weapons ready for the command to attack if she had to, but Tseng held up his other hand to her. "Lilie, don't. It's all right." He said calmly. He gave the woman a reassuring look. "It's okay, Elmyra. We're not here to take her. We're just here to see her."

The woman gave him a look of distrust but then she looked over her shoulder when she heard someone calling to her. After a minute, she slowly nodded. "All right. You can come in." She said opening the door. Tseng glanced at Lilie, who took her hands off the Psis at her waist. They slowly stepped inside.  
The house was quite a cheerful looking place. There were flowers everywhere and it smelled so nice. Lilie really liked it. She just hoped that they weren't there to fight. She wouldn't want this place getting ruined. It was then her attention went to the young woman coming down the stairs. It surprised her to see this young woman, for she knew she had seen her before on the streets, selling flowers.  
The young woman was just a little older than she was and she was very beautiful. The woman had long brown hair that spilled down to her lower back and was pulled back into a loose braid, with a pink ribbon tied at the top. She was wearing a soft pink dress, the color of periwinkle. The woman's face was very angelic shaped and she really did look like one. She had very soft green eyes that shone like emeralds. "Hello, Tseng." The young woman spoke in a soft voice. "I see you've come by for a visit again. You know I won't go back." She said tilting her head back.

Tseng only nodded. "It's all right, Aeris. I'm not here to take you back." He said softly.

The young woman, Aeris, just nodded before she turned her eyes onto Lilie and she smiled as if she was a very good friend of hers. "Hello, Lilie." That surprised Lilie greatly. How did this woman know her name? Had Tseng told the women that they were coming before? She doubted it. Otherwise the woman, Elmyra, wouldn't have reacted the way that she did.  
As if the woman read her mind, she just stepped off the stairs and walked over to face the Turks. "You know, lilies are one of my favorite flowers. They're so pretty and they're the flowers of peace and prosperity." She said softly before she turned to a vase full of lilies and she pulled out two flowers. She turned back to Lilie, smiling softly. "Here. A gift, from your parents."

Again Lilie was surprised. Tseng only smiled at the astonished look on her face. "Aeris, she doesn't know who you are and what you can do."  
Aeris only nodded as she held out the flowers. "I know. Her parents told me." She said softly. Lilie slowly took the flowers, still looking into the woman's soft eyes. "Ho-how do you know about my parents?" She asked. Aeris only smiled as she lowered her hands. "I'm the Ancient that Shinra is after, Lilie."

For the third time, Lilie was surprised. This was the Ancient that Reno had told her about. The one that they were after. But why were they there if not for the Ancient? Weren't they suppose to capture her?

Lilie finally looked at Tseng with a frown, who only shook his head. "Lilie, I know what you're thinking. And it's a little hard to explain but don't worry about it. We're just here to speak with her. Not to capture her when we're suppose to." he said. Lilie slowly nodded. "Aren't we going to get into trouble with the President?" She asked. Tseng shook his head. "I haven't told him about her whereabouts. He doesn't know that she's here. And he's not going to. Not until Aeris is ready to go back to Shinra. But I doubt that'll ever happen." He then motioned to the chairs. "Why don't we all sit down?"  
The women all nodded and moved to sit down. Elmyra just went into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink, Tseng? Tea? Coffee?" She offered. Tseng just smiled. "Curiel Tea would be lovely, Elmyra." He glanced at Lilie, who shook her head. "No thank, ma-am. I'm fine."

Elmyra looked quite astonished. "Wow, Tseng. I guess you do have some Turks that have manners. Unlike that one, Reno's." She said. Lilie laughed softly as Tseng smiled. "Ma-am, manners to Reno is belching out loud and passing gas without an excuse me." She said. Aeris giggled while her mother pulled a face.  
Then Lilie looked at the pretty brunnette. "So how did you know my name?" She asked. Aeris only gave her a soft smile. "Like I said, I'm an Ancient. Ancients are so connected to the Planet that we know many things." she then frowned, tilting her head. "You miss your parents, don't you?" Lilie sighed and nodded. Aeris only nodded back. "I know how you feel. I miss my real mother too, though I love my mom so much. But you know, they're watching you from the Promised Land. They wouldn't want you to grieve or be upset."

Lilie couldn't help but faintly smile. "Thank you, Aeris." She whispered.

Aeris only nodded as she reached over and gently took Lilie's hand. "Just remember, no matter what happens, they'll always love you and will always be with you. Forever in your heart and memories." Lilie only smiled.

She really never went to see Aeris again with Tseng, but she remembered the words so well. For some reason, she knew that meeting Aeris was the best thing that might happen to her for a while and she knew that she would see her again. Probably not for a while, but she knew that she would.

As the year passed, Lilie's affair with Rufus grew more and more passionate every time they met. She knew that she deeply loved him and she knew that she couldn't hide her love any longer. She knew it was the same for him. She could see it through his eyes when he looked at her. The only problem was, things were starting to fall apart without them even knowing about it.  
Another year in Midgar had passed and it would be the worst year of Lilie's life.  
Lilie was on her way to a Turk meeting, her head was nearly up in the clouds. She would be going out with Rufus that night for dinner, secretly of course. Rufus had told her that he wanted to talk to her about something very important and it brought so many thoughts to her mind of what it was about.

As she walked, she spotted Reeve, on the way and she couldn't help but smile as he was carrying the cat from the invention. It was no doubt that it was nearly completed. "Hello, Reeve! How's Cait Sith coming along?" She asked. Reeve smiled up at her as he cradled the cat. "He's coming along just fine. I'm nearly done with him. All I have to do is add a few chips, cross a few wires and bingo, we have a fortune telling spy." He said as he held up the cat.

Lilie only smiled as she took the doll and looked him over. "Oh! He's so cute, Reeve! I can't wait to meet him." She said as she gave it a hug and then kissed the cat right on the nose.

Reeve just chortled as he took it back. "Well, I'll arrange a meeting with him when he's alive. He'll love meeting with you too, Lil." He then threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Oh! By the way, I was just speaking to the President not too long ago. He would like to see you in his office." He said. Lilie frowned. "Oh really? What does he want?" She asked. Reeve just shook his head. "I'm not sure. He just said that if I see you along the way to my office, to let you know he needs to see you."

Lilie glanced down at her watch before shrugging. "I guess I can spare him a few minutes. Thanks, Reeve." She said. Reeve nodded as they went their seperate ways.

Finally Lilie reached the President's office, knocking on the door for a quick second before entering. She found the President speaking to Heidigger about something but she decided not to interupt. However, President Shinra saw her before she could step back out. "Ah! Miss Moy, come on in. I'll be with you in a moment." He said beckoning her into the room. Lilie nodded and did what she was told. The President looked at Heidigger. "Anywho, the point is, Heidigger, is that I want those rebels taken care of right away. I will not allow it to have some mamby pamby saps going around and spreading rumors about Shinra. Take care of them right away." He said. The General only nodded before he turned and left the room.

President Shinra looked at Lilie and motioned for her to take a seat, which she did. "Now then, Miss Moy, I've heard a lot of good things about you. You're quite the Turk and you saved Rufus's life a few years ago. That's an excellent mark on your record, you know?" He said with cheerfulness.

Lilie just forced a smile. "Thank you, sir. I really do try my best. But of course, I heard that Reno and Rude have both been so much better than me. They deserve great praise more than I do." She said sitting up straighter.

The President only waved his hand in the air as if sweeping something away. His other hand was fingering a file. Lilie wasn't exactly sure what the file was for though. "I don't care about Reno and Rude. I've called to speak to you because I've found some great interest in you." He said. For some reason, Lilie felt very awkward. She could feel something in the air that she wasn't liking at all. What was going on? What sort of interest would the President have in her?

"Sir?"

President Shinra shook his head as he lift his chin higher. "Miss Moy, can you tell me what pride means to you?"

Lilie just frowned but then she shook her head. "Pride to me isn't too important, sir. Sure, it means honor and everyone would like as much honor as they can. But too much pride can be like a large piece of meat. You try to swallow the meat without chewing, you'll choke." She said. The President only chuckled before waving a finger at her. "Now there I disagree with you. You see, a man with no pride is a coward and a coward has nothing to live for." He paused as he glanced down at the file sitting before him before looking back at Lilie. "Miss Moy, would you care to explain to me why you have my wife's old necklace?"

Lilie felt her body just dip down to subzero. Her hand immediately disobeyed her by clapping over the necklace, she knew that was hidden well out of sight. "Uh...sir, I don't know wh-what you're talking about." She said nervously.

The President narrowed his eyes. "Miss Moy, a lot of people take me for a fool. And a fool I am not. Reveal the necklace, right now." he ordered.

Lilie sat there for a few seconds before she sighed and did what she was told. She unbottoned the top two buttons of her blouse so that the President could see the necklace. President Shinra only nodded as he opened the file and pushed it towards Lilie. The young Turk just looked down at the file before her eyes widened with shock. It was a picture of her and Rufus kissing in his room. She immediately snatched up the pictures and looked at them. The others were quite embarrassing to say at the least. She couldn't believe it. President Shinra had paid someone to get pictures of her and Rufus together. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Sir! I can explain!" She said quickly.

President Shinra shook his head. "There's no need, Miss Moy. I already know everything."

Lilie was confused. "You do?" She asked. The President just nodded. "Of course I do. You are a very beautiful and young woman, Lilie. Any man would love to have a girl like you. Rufus was only lucky to be the one that won you over."

For some reason, Lilie was still seeing a red light flashing before her eyes, yet she felt almost flattered to hear the President say it like the way he was. "Uh...sir, no offense, but I'm starting to feel very awkward and uncomfortable. I'm late for a Turk meeting so if you don't mind..." She was saying. President Shinra shook his head. "You're being excused from the meeting. Right now I want to talk about you." He then stood up and moved around the desk, making Lilie tense up. "Now, Lilie. You like being a Turk, don't you?"

"Uh...yes, sir. I do. Very much." answered Lilie.

President Shinra nodded. "And you would do anything to keep being a Turk, wouldn't you?"

Again Lilie nodded. "I suppose I would, sir." She then turned around in her chair to facing him. "Sir, may I ask where you are going with this?"

"Lilie, what I'm trying to say is, if you want to stay a Turk then you must prove your worth." President Shinra said.

Lilie stared up into his eyes. She was not liking where this was going at all. "S-sir, what do you mean?" She asked nervously. The President just shook his head. "If you truely want to stay a Turk then you will do exactly what I ask. No matter what it may be." He said. Lilie swallowed hard as she felt the urge to get out of the room right away. "And what is it you want me to do?"

"I think you know exactly what I want you to do."

Lilie had never moved so fast in her life. She couldn't help it. She stood up quickly, knocking the chair back against the desk and tried to back away from the President. "Mr. Shinra! I am sorry but that is very unappropiate! I would never do that with you! You are too old me and you are my boss!" She said nervously. President Shinra moved way too close for her own comfort. She would have moved but he grabbed her arm and pushed her against the desk. Lilie was now trying to pull away without having to get physical with him.

"Lilie, I am your boss and I order you to bed with me tonight. You are beautiful and you need a man who knows how to be responcible. Rufus is a very reckless boy and he has no responibility at all." the president of Shinra Inc. said, his hand now touching her waist.

Lilie finally decided to get phsyical. She grabbed his arm and shoved it away, before moving away from him. Her eyes glaring hard at him. "Mr. President! If you want to sleep with someone, Scarlett is your woman. But I will not do that. I love your son with all my heart and he loves me. I will not betray his feelings." She said coldy.

President Shinra just smirked at her. "Do you honestly think he loves you, Miss Moy? He's just like me. He's using you for his own lust. When he gets done with you, he'll drop you like a rock." he said. Lilie glared at him. "You're wrong about him. He's nothing like you." She said coldly. She then turned and started to walk towards the door. She paused to turn back and glare again at the President. "I can't believe your wife stayed with you for so long. Not after all you did behind her back."

President Shinra glared at her now. "You are fired, Miss Moy! And I will have you placed under arrest for treason!" He barked. Lilie narrowed her eyes at him. "We'll see about that." She said coldly before she turned stormed through the doors. "He doesn't love you, Miss Moy!" She heard the President call after her.

Lilie's heart was shattered. She couldn't believe that she had gotten into so much trouble within only ten minutes. She couldn't even believe how vile that man was. She had tears in her eyes as she hurried down the hallway. She had to go see Rufus right now. She had to tell him what happened. He could straighten the entire thing out and she would still be a Turk. She knew that he would do anything for her.  
When Lilie reached Rufus's office, she burst right in, ignoring the protests of the secetary, only to freeze in her footsteps. She couldn't believe what she was seeing right then. Rufus was kissing Scarlett.

* * *

Only minutes before Lilie had burst through the doors of his office, Rufus had been going over some important papers when there was a knock on his door. He looked up just in time to see Scarlett walking in. He had to hold back the groan that was making its way up his throat. "Scarlett, what a surprise. I'm a little busy right now so could you just get to the point of why you are here?" He asked as he stood up. 

Scarlett smirked coolly as she walked over, letting her hips wave back and forth and it made Rufus gag deep within himself. "Oh Rufus, I came to see you, of course. I know things between you and me are complicated but can't we just be friends?" She asked in a seductive way.

Rufus narrowed his eyes at her, tilting his head to the side. "Sure, we can be friends. Starting now, you can leave my office while I finish up my work." He said. Scarlett's red lips curled into a smile as she went around the dest and sat right in front of him. "Rufus, dear, I know about you and your little red haired girlfriend. And why you are seeing each other. I get it." She said tapping her finger on his chest.

Rufus just frowned, a little surprised that she would know. "What are you talking about?"

Scarlett lazily shrugged. "Ah, you know. Sleeping with that little slut just to get me jealous. Oh, don't worry, it worked. And you have my attention. So why don't we just have a little kiss right now and see where it goes."

Rage flashed in Rufus's eyes and he glared icily at her. "Scarlett, get the hell out of my office! And I do not want you to be talking about Lilie Moy like the way you just did. She is not a slut. Not like you. And if we're sleeping together, it's none of your god-damned business, nor anyone elses!" he snapped.  
A flash of annoyance appeared on Scarlett's face before she tilted her head to the side. She could hear some kind of commotion going on outside and hear HER voice. With a smirk, she grabbed Rufus's jacket and pulled him closer to her. It startled him too much to jerk away. He just gave her an alarmed look. "I make everything my business, Rufus. Especially when your father ordered me to." And then she slammed her lips against Rufus's. Rufus was stunned for a few seconds before he started to glare at Scarlett and put his hands on her shoulders to shove her away from him.

It was at that very second the doors slammed opened making them jerk away from one another and look towards the door. To Rufus's horror, there stood a tear stained and hurt looking Lilie. She was staring at him with all the hurt, pain and hatred she could managed.

"Lilie!" He said before glancing over at Scarlett, who was smirking. "Lilie, it's not what you think!" He tried to say as he started towards her. Lilie stepped back, glaring at him. "You son of a bitch! I can not believe you! You are just like that asshole of a father of yours!" She exclaimed.

Rufus stepped forward again, panic no doubt across his handsome features. "Lilie! I swear she kissed me! Not the other way around! Give me a moment to..."

"NO!" Lilie screamed at him, tears running down her face. "I don't want to hear it, Rufus! I don't want to ever see you again!" She then reached up and tugged the necklace free from her neck. "You can take this back! We're over, Rufus! You can be just like your father and sleep around, hurting other people! That's all you're good for!" She screamed as she threw the necklace at him. Then she turned and raced out of the room.

"Lilie!" Rufus yelled as he caught the necklace in midair and started to run after her.

"Let her go, Rufus! She's no longer your problem! And she certainly isn't apart of Shinra, anymore." Scarlett called.

Rufus immediately halted before he turned around and glared at her. He stood there for a minute before he stormed over to her and slapped her across the face. Scarlett gasped as she fell off the desk, screeching in pain. She stared up at him, covering her cheek where Rufus had struck her. "You said my father put you up to it?! What did he tell you to do?!" He snapped. Scarlett just gave him a stunned and outraged look and looked ready to tell him to shove off, but the look he was giving her told her that she better answer the question. "He told me to seduce you, just for your girlfriend to see! He said that no son of his was going to be dating a worthless piece of trash like her!"

Rufus gave her the most coldest glare before he looked down at the necklace. "The bastard did something to her, I know it." He said. He saw Scarlett nod and he made him look back at her. "He did say that he was going to talk to her about your relationship." And with that, Rufus fled the room with a rage.

The door slammed opened and Rufus rushed into the President's room, looking very angry. President Shinra was in the middle of talking to Hojo about something but he looked up when Rufus rushed into the room. "Ah, Rufus, my boy. How wonder..." He didn't get to finish.  
Rufus had rushed over and swung his arm to knock everything on his desk off before knocking the cigar out of his father's hand and reached over, roughly pulling the President do his feet. "What the hell did you do to Lilie?!" He yelled into President Shinra's face. He could see the startled look on Hojo's face but he ignored the wicked Scientist.

"What are you talking about..." President Shinra exclaimed as he tried to pull away.

Rufus gave a jerk to making him stop. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Old Man Shinra!" He exclaimed. "What did you do to her?! What did Scarlett mean when she told me that you ordered her to seduce me just for Lilie to see?!"

The President glared right into his son's eyes, fearless as ever. Instead of looking away, he slowly pushed the file of pictures towards him. Rufus looked down at it before shoved the President away from him and looked at the pictures. His eyes widened to see the pictures of him and Lilie making love. He then turned his eyes onto his father, glaring hard at him. "What did you do?" He asked in a very cold way. "Did you touch her?! Did you hurt her?!"

"Oh please. Lilie Moy may be beautiful but she's worthless. She's nothing but a commoner from Costa Del Sol and she was a Turk. A stupid bodyguard to..." President Shinra was saying.

Rufus gritted his teeth before he wretched his shotgun free from its place under his long white jacket and aimed it right into Shinra's face. "You son of a bitch! What do you mean was?! She is a Turk, unless..."

"Unless I fired her? Oh, I did, my boy. She refused to sleep with me or dump you, so I let the little whore go. Of course, I will place out a warrant for her arrest. She is a devious little thief." President Shinra said coldly. Rufus glared at him. He then held up the necklace. "Are you referring why she was wearing this?" He asked in an icy tone.

"Yes, Rufus. She had stolen it from your mother and it angered me. I will not tolerate..." The President was saying.

"She didn't steal it! I gave it to her!" Rufus barked as he stuffed the necklace back into his pocket. "I gave it it to her because I loved her! And now she hates me because of you! You and that bitch, Scarlett!" He nearly laughed coldly to see the shocked look on his father's face. "That's right, Old Man! I am capable of loving a beautiful and caring woman! And you just screwed it up for us! Thank you very much, you fat ass!" He narrowed his eyes at the President. "I swear to god, that you will pay for it someday, Old Man! You will pay dearly! Either by my hand or someone elses! And when that day comes, I will never cry or grieve for you, the way that Lilie did for her parents! I will laugh my damn head off because you are dead! No mistake about that!" He then lowered the shotgun.

"Rufus, if that is a threat..." President Shinra was saying with an angry glare.

"No, Old Man! It's a promise! And I can't wait till the day you are dead!" Rufus said coldly. "Hopefully it'll be tomorrow. That way I can go find Lilie and ask for her forgivence for what you did to her!" He snapped before he turned around and stormed out. "I'll be leaving Midgar and I won't come back until you are gone! You'll find me in Icicle Town if you want to reach me!" He said as he left. And he was gone. Hurrying away to see if he could catch Lilie before she left the city.

Unfortunately, it was too late.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**A/N: Hey, everyone. Thanks for the reviews. I know, I know. I feel bad for doing that to Rufus and Lilie. It was most necessary and you know it probably would have happened all because of President Shinra. We all know what kind of evil man he is. But thankfully, that last episode between him and Rufus will be the last time we ever see him. **

**Now, a lot of things are going to happen, beginning with this chapter. This is when Lilie's story starts to entertwine with the story line of the game. I know that some of these scenes didn't happen in the game but I'm twisting it a little in my own fashion. So enjoy. Read and Review please.

* * *

****Chapter 12:**

Lilie spent the entire year running away from Midgar, Shinra, Rufus, everything. She was spending more and more time far away from that place. She never looked back once when she left Midgar. She just took her car and drove on to Kalm, looking for provisions and clothing at the stores. She ignored the looks she had gotten from some people. She was still crying when she began buying everything. Eventually someone had asked her if she was all right. She completely ignored them as she stuffed her things into a bag and then left.

She travelled all the way to Junon, where she would stay for a while. She had friends there that would let her stay and not tell any Shinra employees that she was there.  
While in Junon, the years before, she had gone down into the lower city to see what kind of mess it was. Most of the people hadn't trusted her when they found out that she was a Turk. But during the times of her free time, when she wasn't training, she went down into the lower part of Junon and started to clean up the mess from above. It was only then did the people start to trust her and helped clean up their city.  
Now that she was there again, she was staying with a fisherman and his family right by the beach. She spent most of her time crying in the night and then she would help the family the best she could. Sometimes she went out to train against monsters and some times she would just stare up at the stars, remembering what kind of life she had before. She missed Rufus, but she hated him. Hated him for being a Shinra. She didn't know what kind of trechery that had fallen on him because of the Old Man but she didn't care. To her, Rufus was just another image of his father. When the year was up, she soon learned of what kind of punishment President Shinra would recieve.

It was a cold and rainy day and she was sitting on the bar stool of the house she was staying in, drinking coffee and watching the fisherman's children as he tried to fish that day. The tv was on as well, and it was showing the news. She had spent a few days watching the news, just to learn of what was happening in Midgar. She had learned that there were terrorists in Midgar, blowing up the Mako Reactors, the ones called Avalanche. The only thing she did was roll her eyes.  
If she was still a Turk, she would be there right now, trying to track down these terrorists. But now that she wasn't, she couldn't care less. She did think a lot about her old friends. She wondered what Reno was doing now and if he was okay. She missed them terribly. She could never blame them for what Shinra had done to her. She believed that Shinra was lying to them too. Hopefully they would see that and quit like she did.

On that cold and rainy day, Lilie was thinking about her past with Shinra when a news flash came on. She was going to ignore it but what she heard the reporter say next, it really got her attention.

_"Attention, Ladies and Gentlemen, terrible news! President of Shinra Inc., Augustice Randolf Shinra has been murdered in his office, just last night." _

Lilie's head jerked up and she looked straight at the tv. She wasn't the only one. Even the fisherman's wife looked at it with urgentcy. There was a picture of President Shinra right next to the reporter's head.

_"We recieved news that the President of Shinra Inc. has been brutally murdered by the cold and heartless gang of Avalanche. From what we learned, the gang of terrorists had attacked the Headquarters just yesterday and were placed under arrest. Unfortunately, somehow they had managed to escape, killing almost over fifty people, before stabbing the President in the back." _The reporter said.

Lilie just stared at the tv with a frown.

_"We learned from one of the Heads that they had witnessed the monstrosity and had watched the terrorists attack the new President of Shinra, President Rufus Shinra, when he arrived at the Headquarters to investigate his father's murder. We learned that it had been the Leader of Avalanche, who nearly killed the new President. It's unfortunate to learn that Avalanche has escaped but they are being pursued by SOLDIERS right this very second. We will have further updates of the news when the time comes. But before we end this news report, we had an interview with the President of what he has to say about the matter." _

A shot of Rufus Shinra and a reporter flashed onto the screen. Lilie had to hold in her breath when she saw him. She could see that he had been injured in the fight against Avalanche but he looked quite well. He looked like he had minor cuts and bruises. But it wasn't just the injuries that made Lilie worry. It was on how thin he had gotten since she last seen him. He was definitely a little paler, as if he hadn't seen the sun for almost a month. But he was still very strong looking and there was something different about his facial features. He looked very much colder and distant from others.

_"Here we are speaking with the new President of Shinra, President Rufus Shinra." _The reporter turned her attention onto Rufus, who lift his chin a little higher, almost looking proud. _"Mr. President Shinra, can you..." _Something flashed in Rufus's eye as he gave the reporter a cold look.  
_**"Mr. President Rufus will do. I have no intention to being called President Shinra." **_He said coldly.  
The reportered cringed a little from how cold he was but she nodded. _"Forgive me, sir. Mr. President Rufus. What do you have to say about the murder of your father? And of the gang of terrorist, Avalanche?" _

Lilie tilted her head as she watched Rufus carefully. He was quiet for a second, as if he was choosing his words cautiously. It was no doubt he was hiding something. Lilie knew that look when he was trying to lie about something. But she just listened.

_**"Well, I must say that it is quite the loss to Shinra INC. to lose the Old Man like that. I won't say that I am hurt about it. However, the loss to Shinra INC. is quite different. He was quite the President for the company. But I can guareentee you, now that he's gone, Shinra INC. will not fall as there had been rumors about. I am here to take over the company for my **_**father**_** and I will see to it that it will keep rising to the top of productions. As for these terrorists, they are not to be misunderstood in any way. They are dangerous, well lead by the leader, who happens to be an Ex-SOLDIER who betrayed the company. I have SOLDIERS chasing after them as we speak so no one has to fear anything. We will have this gang in our custody and they will never bring harm to anyone again."**_ He said coldly.

Lilie almost shivered to hear the tone Rufus was using. He really had changed since she last knew him. How did he get so cold? Why? It couldn't have been her that caused it when she left, could it?

_"Mr. President Rufus, everyone. Live from Midgar City. Who are these terrorists, Avalanche? Why did the kill the President of Shinra, and where are they now?" _

Lilie wasn't really listening anymore. She was still staring at Rufus, who had turned away from the camera, looking at some of the other Heads. It surprised her to see that he had given Scarlett a very cold look when he looked at her but then he turned away from them. It was at that second that Lilie saw something she would never forget. She knew that she was the only one that did. But there was a sadness in Rufus's eye. He looked very tired and sad about something. There had been a rumor once that no one had ever seen him bleed or cry before. It was because he was crying on the inside. He had been hurt when she left.  
It made Lilie feel guilty about leaving. Maybe she should have given him a chance to explain. Maybe they wouldn't have been in this mess. She swore that if she ever saw him again, she would talk to him about it and let him explain. She hoped that she would get to see him as soon as possible. She just never knew that her chance would only come a few days later.

Over the next few days, she was keeping her eye on the news, to see what would happen. There was no news of Avalanche or anything. She hadn't seen any news with Rufus either. Only that they were still searching for the gang. She swore that if she ever ran into the gang, she would take care of them, herself. She was a Turk of course. She would make them pay for attacking her old beloved. She would make them pay.

It was very early one morning when she heard the blasts of music and that was woke her up. She got up and pulled on her clothing for the day and went outside to see what was going on. Of course, almost everyone of the town were out to see what was going on. The music was coming up from above, in the upper part of the city. It sounded like a celebration.  
Had they caught the Avalanche group yet? She wasn't sure. So she decided to ask someone. She approached a young woman who was staring upwards with curiousity. She had some kind of dog sitting with her too. For some reason, that dog seemed familiar. She swore she had seen it before in Hojo's labs. But it couldn't have been the same one she saw. Besides, she hadn't really paid much attention to it in the first place.

"Excuse me." Lilie said.

The young woman turned with surprise, looking almost alert but she relaxed when she just saw Lilie. Lilie took this chance to look the woman over, very quickly to see what kind of person she was. The woman was wearing a white tank top belly shirt and a black mini skirt wth suspenders over her shoulders. She quite a pretty young woman and she was about Lilie's age too. She had long dark chocolate colored hair running all the way to her lower back which was pulled into a fishtail style. She also had the figure of a fist fighter.  
"Hi." The woman said as she looked Lilie over too.

Lilie nodded her greeting. "Hi. Um, what's going on? Where's that music coming from?"

The young woman shook her head before pointing upward to the city above. "I'm not exactly sure what's going on. From what I heard, the new President of Shinra, Rufus Shinra is here in Junon. Apparently he's in some kind of parade, showing off and all." She said it as if she really didn't like Rufus.

Lilie didn't really pay much attention though. She was surprised to hear that Rufus was there in Junon. This was her chance to see him again. She just gave the woman a nod before she rushed over to the elevator to go up. She knew that the woman was watching though but she didn't look back at her. She went up to the Shinra guard, who immediately rose a hand to stop her. "Halt! This is Shinra Inc's elevator! Don't be snooping around here!" He snapped

Lilie gave him a very cold look. "I want to go up to the parade. You will let me go through."

"I'm sorry, ma-am, but no exceptions. Unless you are an employee of..." The guard was saying.

Lilie let out a frustrated sigh before she touched her Psis where she had a Manipulate materia. She stared the man in the eyes as she began to use the materia's power. "You will let me through with a clearence." She said, her voice thick with the manipulative spell. She watched as the guard's eyes lost focus and he slumped a little, his arm falling to his side. "I will let you through with a clearence." He repeated dully.

"Now step aside and let me in." Lilie ordered.

The guard nodded. "I will step aside and let you in the elevator." He said and did so. He pushed the button to the elevator and let Lilie step into the elevator. She had turned around and before the doors closed, she caught sight of a familiar woman in pink staring with the people she was with. It surprised her to see Aeris Gainsborough in Junon.

The elevator went up to the upper city and Lilie was deep in thought of what might happen next. She was going to see Rufus. She didn't know how she was going to approach him. She knew how heavy the security was going to be and it was going to be very hard trying to get to Rufus but she had to try.  
As the elevator and the doors opened, Lilie stepped off only to see a Shinra Captain standing there, talking into a radio. When he caught sight of her, he frowned and walked over to her. "Excuse me, but do you have a clearence code for coming up to Junon City?" He asked. Lilie smiled innocently as she wrapped her hands around her Psis, ready to pull them. "No."

The Captan frowned before reaching for his weapon. "I am sorry, miss but I'll have to ask you to return into the elevator and..." He didn't get to finish because Lilie threw her hand out and threw a sleep spell right into his face. The Captain fell to the ground unconscious. She knew instantly that she better hurry it up. That man wasn't going to be asleep for very long.

She rushed towards the door and ran out into the crowded streets. The music was much louder while there. She looked around before she began to push and shove her way towards the street. She could already see the parade had started. And riding in an attack vehicle was Rufus Shinra, waving at the people. Lilie's heart really started beating when she saw him. She began waving her hand in the air trying to get his attention.  
"Rufus!" She screamed as she still tried to push and shove her way through. It was a little hard because there were so many people. "Rufus!" She called again. But Rufus just couldn't hear her. There were so many other people screaming and shouting his name that it was no different for her.

Lilie frantically looked around for another option before she noticed several guards pushing their way towards her. "Hey! You woman! Stop right there!" One called. Lilie only frowned before she turned and started to rush down the street, through the crowd. She was going to catch Rufus, one way or another. Even if that meant beating up some of the guards. Of course, that might look a little bad though. They could think she was trying to kill him. Luckily for her, she was a Turk and she was a better fighter than the guards. So they were not going to stop her.

She managed to find her way in a more open area and it was easier to run down the street towards the harbor where she had heard not long ago that that was Rufus's destination. Apparently he was taking a ship across the ocean to the next continent. She could only wonder why he was going there.

However, along the way, she ran into trouble. Guards were now blocking her every path and it made her even more frustrated. With fire in her eyes, Lilie pulled her Psis out and she stood in a fighting stance. "You want to mess with me? Fine. But it will be your last mistake." She said coldly.

"You are under arrest!" A guard yelled aiming his gun.

Lilie smirked at him. "I don't think so!" She said before she made her move. She began weaving in and out of the guards, knocking them out or just pounding them to the ground. Within seconds, she was allowed to run again. She was attacked along the way though. It was really starting to piss her off. These men were just slowing her down. So she decided to avoid the fights by jumping high over their heads and just run. It was lucky enough that she was much faster than they were.

Finally she reached the docks. But it was too late. The ship was already sailing away. "NO!" She screamed. She began jumping up and down, hoping that Rufus was out on the deck, looking back. "Rufus!" She screamed. But she knew that it was no use.

"Freeze! Don't move!" She heard someone yell.

With her teeth clenched tight, she turned around to see a young woman, a little older than she was standing there with guards. She was wearing the uniform of a Turk and she was no doubt someone new because Lilie had never seen her. The woman had short blonde hair and very pretty hazel/green eyes. She was quite pretty yet, too bubbly looking. "You're under arrest for tresspassing on Shinra public ground! Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" The blonde Turk ordered.

Lilie rolled her eyes as she started walking towards the side to leave. "You obviously don't know who I am so I won't tell you. But just bug off, blondie." She said coldy.

The woman immediately fired a warning shot on the ground at Lilie's feet, who stopped. "I said don't move!" She snapped.

Lilie gave her a dark look. "Don't you fire that at me or you will pay for it." She said in a cold tone. The woman just glared at her. "Then don't move. Do what I tell you and you won't get shot." She said just as coldly. Lilie just frowned at her before looking the woman over. This woman was a Turk, no doubt. There was a lot of power in her soft voice but did she really have what it took to fight a Turk like Lilie. She decided to put the woman up to the test.

With a smirk, Lilie faced her and stood in a fighting stance. "All right then. Let's see what you got. Fight me." She said. The woman just frowned before she stepped forward and nodded. "All right. But you'll be sorry."

The two women face one another, glaring into each other's eyes before they both moved at the same time. Lilie began slashing at the woman with her Psis, who quickly dodged. She was startled to see how fast the woman was. Her weapons were quickly knocked out of her hands. "Let's not play with weapons, intruder. Let's see how you are in hand to hand combat." The blonde Turk said. Lilie only smiled coldly. "Very well. But your going to be sorry. I've been trained well." She then moved quickly at her. She charged forward and began throwing her fists at the woman, who did her best to block. She had to duck a few times from the woman's fists. She was just as fast as Lilie was. Eventually she was hit a few times and it hurt. This blonde Turk was pretty strong. But she learned that Lilie was also strong. Their battle was very intense. Lilie and the woman moved very quick around each other, making shots towards one another.

Eventunally, Lilie was slammed into the wall of a building. "Ha! You lose! Give up!" The blonde Turk said with a smirk.

Lilie smirked right back. "A Turk never gives up." She said before she took the blonde's surprise for granate. She quickly threw her off of her and scaled up the wall as she tried to attack again. Lilie flipped right over her head and kicked the blonde hard in the back, making her fly into the wall. She rose her hand to give the woman a hard blow to knock her out when suddenly someone grabbed her hand and spun her around.  
She started to let her fist fly at that person instead only to have intercepted with another hand. The fist flying towards her face stopped within an inch of her nose, out of hesitation. Lilie never flinched as she watched it come. She was going to take the blow like a Turk she was but her eyes widened to see an old face she knew well.

Rude was just as surprised to see her. His face immediately twisted from rage to shock when he laid his eyes on her. His mouth fell open and he immediately let go of Lilie's fist. "Lilie?!"

"Rude?!" Lilie gasped right back.

She spotted Tseng standing off behind Rude, looking just as surprised. His eyes were wide and his mouth had fallen into a wide O. "Lilie!" He said as a smile began to form on his face. Lilie smiled right back. She was so happy to see them. She frowned though to see that the guards were now aiming their weapons towards her.  
Tseng and Rude both turned around to see what the guards were doing before they frowned. The tall dark skinned Turk immediately stepped in front of Lilie to protect her and Tseng held up a hand. "Hold your fire! She's with us!" He said. He turned around and smiled at Lilie.

The blonde Turk was frowning in confusion though. "Tseng! What's going on here?!" She asked. Lilie looked at the blonde, who was glaring at her.

"It's all right, Elena. This is Lilie. She's a Turk, like us." Tseng told her. He then frowned at her. "Lilie, why did you attack the guards, anyway? What are you doing here and where were you?" He asked. Lilie then frowned before she sighed deeply. It was time to tell him the truth.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: Thanks for the review. I'm glad someone's still reading it. Anyway, in this chapter, Lilie rejoins the Turks and begins a big mission, to mention, see someone she has been dying to see for years. Read and review.**

**Chapter 13:**

Lilie spent the last hour explaining what had happened before she left. She even had to tell Tseng about her relationship with Rufus, just to fill in the blanks. The three of them were sitting in a bar, which happened to be Tseng's favorite place in Junon, drinking coffee. The others were quiet as they listened to her story and they were still quiet when she finished.  
"So I left because of President Shinra and Rufus. When I lost my job just because of that bastard, and I saw Rufus kissing Scarlett, I just lost it. I had to leave. I couldn't stand it anymore." Lilie said with a sigh. Her head fell into her arm on the table. "Reno knew about my relationship with Rufus and he promised he wouldn't tell anyone. He was my best friend so I knew he wouldn't."

Tseng sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well...I won't say that I'm disappointed of you running away like that. Because I am but I will say that I already knew about you and Rufus."

That surprised Lilie enough to shoot up in her seat. "What?!"

Rude shook his head. "After you left and Rufus asked us to try and find you, Reno had to tell us. It was only us. He was scared to death for you, Lilie. When you left without a word, he was freaking out. So you can't blame him for telling us." He said quietly. Lilie blew out a sigh as she put her face into her arms again. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Tseng, Rude. I'm scared that if I don't talk to Rufus again, but I'm scared to do it too. He must be so angry at me."

"No. He's not angry at you. He never could stay angry with you. He was angry with President Shinra and Scarlett. You should see how he's treating her now. He can't being in the same room with her for very long. He really hates that broad." Rude said with a disgusted look.

"Rude! You can't say something like that!" Elena said in a scolding look.

Lilie gave the woman a look but didn't say anything. "Tseng, who is this?" She asked, frowning. She ignored the look Elena gave her. Tseng just smiled. "Oh, her? This is Elena. She's new to the Turks. Elena, this is Lilie. She's one of our former Turks, hopefully she'll still be one of us." He said, almost asking Lilie if she was still in.

Lilie shook her head. "I was fired, remember?"

"So what? President Shinra fired you but Rufus would re-hire you. You were his bodyguard, Lilie." Rude said shaking his head. "You saved his life and he would gladly give you the job back."

Lilie shook her head. "Rude, I can't. I just don't know what to say to him. He was kissing Scarlett so I don't really want..."

Tseng touched her arm to silence her. "Lilie, no he wasn't. Scarlett kissed him. She always kisses men first. That's how she seduces them. Rufus hates her guts, all right? He treats her like shit now that he's the President of Shinra. You have to give him a chance to explain." He said. Lilie faintly smiled. "I guess you're right." She then frowned again. "But...what if he doesn't want to see me ever again? What..." She sighed as she buried her head into her arms. "I don't know."

"Lil, think of it this way. He won't turn away from you if you try to talk to him. I know that he wouldn't. He's always liked you, all right? Just give him a chance." Tseng said. Lilie smiled at him when she rose her head again. "Okay. How can I see him?"

Tseng shook his head. "Well, I can take you to him. He's on his way across the ocean to search for Sephiroth."

Lilie's eyes snapped open wide. "What?!"

Tseng and Rude looked at one another before looking back at her. "Uh, Lilie. It wasn't Avalanche that killed President Shinra. It was Sephiroth. Palmer saw him with his own eyes. He's alive and he's gone mad." Tseng said and then scowled when he saw Lilie bite her lip. "I know that look, Lilie. Don't even think about it. He will kill you if you try to speak to him."

"But, Tseng, I was his friend. He would listen to me if I tried..." Lilie was saying.

Tseng just frowned at her. "Lilie! I don't want you to take the chance. He's dangerous. He's killed a lot of people already. And I don't want him to kill you too." He said. Lilie saw Elena frown, looking almost jealous. "Tseng, what's going on? How does she know Sephiroth?" Elena asked, trying her hardest to keep the jealousy out of her voice. Tseng only glanced at her before looking back at Lilie. "Elena, Sephiroth helped train Lilie when she was younger. They were quite close friends before he supposibly died." He then shook his head. "Lilie, just please trust me on this. If you go up against Sephiroth, you will be killed." He said. Lilie just looked away.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tseng's PHS started ringing making all of them look at him. The Turk Leader sighed before he reached in and pulled it out. "Hello?" He answered. He was quiet for a minute before shaking his head. "No, we're still in Junon. Why..." His eyes then snapped open wide. "What?!"

Lilie, Rude and Elena looked at Tseng with interest. They all could hear the shock in his voice. Something was wrong, they knew it.

"How many are dead?! Is Rufus all right?! He's not..." Tseng was saying.

Immediately, Lilie's heart skipped a beat and she was staring at her former boss with surprise. She hoped that Rufus was okay.

Tseng was quiet for a minute before he nodded. "All right. We're on our way. I'll contact Reno as soon as I possible and he'll lead Rude and Elena after them. I, on the other hand, will be..." He paused glancing at Lilie, who rose an eyebrow at him. "...I'll be there as soon as possible." He then hung up.

"Tseng, what happened? What about Rufus? Is he all right?" Lilie asked. Tseng nodded. "He's fine. He wasn't attacked. The ship he's on...it was carrying suspicious characters. Five of those people were the infamous Avalanche gang and the sixth was Sephiroth. He killed a lot of people before taking off." He looked at Rude and Elena. "You two, you need to get with Reno and chase after Cloud and his crew." He said. Lilie frowned at the name. Why did that name sound familiar? Then her attention went to Reno. She frowned when she remembered that he usually travelled with Rude and Tseng. So where was he?

"Tseng." She paused waiting for him to look at her. "Where is Reno, anyhow? Why isn't he with you?"

Tseng and Rude both pulled faces as they look at one another. They both looked uneasy about something but they figured why not to tell her. "He's in Healin, Lilie. He needed medical attention after fighting with Avalanche." Tseng said with a shrug. "He'll be all right. He's healing quite nicely."

Lilie looked very worried and surprised at the same time. "He was hurt?! What did they do to him?!" She asked with shock.

"He'll be fine, Lil. I promise. All they did was beat him up quite a bit. You'll see him when he arrives in the helecopter. He'll be happy to see you again. That'll make him feel much better than he's been feeling for a while." Tseng tried to reassure her. Lilie just sighed and nodded. "In the mean time, can I ask you for a favor?"

"All right. What?" Lilie asked. She had a feeling this had to deal with being a Turk again.

Tseng nodded with a smile. "Can I ask you to go to Nibelhiem to check things out. There are Sephiroth clones there, some of Hojo's experiments that needed to be watched over. Not to mention, we believe that Avalanche might pass through there. So if it's possible if they do, we'll need you to give us a call right away and we'll come as soon as possible to help you. We just need you to stake out."  
Lilie rose her eyebrow at him. "What about meeting with Rufus?" She asked. Tseng gave her a smile. "I swear after that job I'll take you to him. But right now, you're one of the best trackers we have and we need you to keep an eye out for Avalanche in Nibelhiem." He said. Lilie sat up taller with a nod. "All right. I'll do it." She said with a smile. Tseng smiled right back before holding out his hand to her. "Welcome back to Turks, Lilie Moy." He said. Lilie smiled right back and shook his hand.

* * *

When the helecopter with Reno arrived to pick up the four Turks, Lilie was never so much happier to see her old best friend. Sure, he looked a little beat up when he arrived but he looked very well. As soon as he saw Lilie, he grinned and leaped out of the helecopter before it even touched the ground. He ran over to Lilie and picked her up in his arms, spinning her around in circles. 

"Hot damn, Lilie! You scared the hell out of me, you know that?!" He yelled playfully at her as he hugged her.

Everyone laughed as they watched Reno just spin Lilie around in circles. "Damn it, Reno! Stop that! I'm getting dizzy!" Lilie laughed as she hugged him back. Reno put her back on the ground and grinned down at her. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, ya hear?"

"Yes, daddy." Lilie said sarcastically. Everyone just smiled and climbed back into the helecopter.

Lilie listened to what Reno had to say about Avalanche. She found it interesting to hear that Aeris, the Ancient was apart of them now. She listened to Reno describe each and every one of the Avalanche members. When Reno told her about the woman, Tifa Lockhart, she remembered the woman in Junon. She remembered what the woman looked like and she matched the description of Tifa Lockhart, so she knew that she had met two of the Avalanche members without even knowing that she did.  
"Well, better news is though, Reeve's sent that confounded comptraption of his to spy on Avalanche. You know, the one he calls Cait Sith. It's going to pretend to be a friend and he's going to keep an eye on the members, just to watch their every move. It'll be so much easier tracking them down." Reno said. Lilie only smiled. "So he finally got Cait Sith done, huh? I can't wait to see him. He's worked so hard on that thing." She said. Reno nodded. "Yeah, but it's sure annoying though. I've met that thing already and he already got on my damn nerves." Lilie laughed.

Finally the helecoptor arrived outside of Nibelhiem, since they took the short cut. From what Reeve reported so far while they were travelling over the mountains, Avalanche had gotten caught up in some mess at Gold Saucer and they were delayed. So that gave them the chance to catch up and get ahead of them.  
Lilie had changed into a different set of cloths for the town of Nibelhiem. She was going to act like a items salesgirl. She had cut her hair a little shorter, to her shoulder blades and was wearing black pants and a white tank top with a white headband in her hair. She even put a little make up on so that no one would recognize her. Indeed she looked different. Reno had teased her by whistling. He shut up real quick when she rose a fist as if to punch him.

The helecoptor finally touched down and let Lilie and Tseng climb off. He walked with her half way, explaining what she had to do. "Anyway, if you have any trouble, any at all, give us a call and we'll come help." Tseng said. Lilie nodded as she turned to go to the town. "Oh! Lilie!" She turned back to look at Tseng. "Don't go into the Shinra Mansion."

Lilie frowned and tilted her head. "The mansion? Why not?"

Tseng shook his head. "It's dangerous. There's a bunch of monsters living in the house, some of Hojo's stupid creatures. I don't want you to get hurt." He said. Lilie only nodded before she went to the town. She turned back just to see the helecopter taking off before she went on.

For the next few days, Lilie was keeping her eyes on the so called Sephiroth clones. The clones were only people who wore black cloaks and paced back and forth, shaking and murmuring. It was a little creepy just watching them. There was still no word from the others and definitely no sight of Avalanche. She often thought about what it would be like to see Rufus again. She hoped he wasn't angry with her at all. She was also looking at the mansion as she walked around the town for fresh air. She could only wonder, what was inside the building? And one day, she decided to go find out.

The day was quite a warm one and the sun was shining brightly. Lilie was bored out of her mind so she decided to explore the mansion, even though Tseng had told her to stay out of it. When she entered the house, she couldn't help but feel a foreboding feeling in the air. There was something about this house, something very mysterious. She wanted to know what its secrets were. Strange enough, the house was quite clean for being abandoned for so many years. Lilie couldn't see a speck of dust anywhere.  
Lilie found herself wandering into a ballroom of some sort. A beautiful grand piano was sitting off to one side. She smiled as she walked over to it, touching its shiny black coverings. She had always liked pianos. She remembered how in Junon, Rufus used to play for her when she visited him. He had even taught her how to play it herself.  
With a deep sigh, she sank down onto the bench and ran her fingers across the ivory keys, not pushing down on them to make a sound. But then she pushed down one of the keys to start the song she was about to play.

Deep within the house, in the darkness of the basement, someone had heard the music began playing. A pair of eyes opened in the darkness of the room he was in before they narrowed as a deep growl of annoyance slowly escaped his throat.

Lilie closed her eyes as she let her fingers slowly dance across the ivory keys. She could feel her tears filling the rims of her eyelids and a tear began to roll down her cheek. The song she was playing was a very gentle and soft melody. It was a song that Rufus had wrote after they started seeing one another. He had called it 'Beyond the Heart of Midgar'. It was a love song about how a love was forbidden between them, yet they loved anyway.  
She remembered how Rufus played it for her the first time. In away, it was full of gloom but then would slowly go into the melody of love. It was how he had felt before they got together. She even started to add a little of herself into the song. Of how she was feeling now. The song was so loving, yet full of sadness. It really turned on her tears as she remembered Rufus.  
If she hadn't closed her eyes, she would have noticed the new arrival, the man in the dark corner, watching her play. She would have noticed him slowly drift in the room and turn his blood red colored eyes onto her. He stood in silence, just watching the tears roll down her cheeks as she put most of her energy into the song of love.

Finally Lilie hit the last key of the song, letting it echo all around her and the room. She finally lowered her head into her hands and sniffed as the tears came freely. She started to cry but then she heard something. She could hear someone breathing other than her. She slowly lowered her hands and sat up straighter.

"How long have you been standing there?" She whispered, waiting for the answer.

She then heard a metallic click and it made her turn her head a little when she heard someone approaching her. She still didn't look up, just sitting there until she saw red cloth from the side of her eyes. Then did she look up. She froze as her eyes met those red ones. It startled her a little but she couldn't help but stare into them. Those eyes, they were so creepy, yet lovely. She then looked at the man's face, or what wasn't hidden.

The man she was looking at was very tall and mysterious looking. He had a very pale complexion, yet it seemed to suit him quite nicely. She could already tell that he was quite handsome under that red faceguard. He had long, raven black hair, spilling over his shoulders, a red headband keeping a few long strands out from his face. He looked about the age of 27 years old, but his eyes showed that he was much older than that. The man was wearing black under the large red cloak. He was quite thin, but there was a strange, strong look about him. He was so mysterious and secretive looking and that's what interested Lilie so much about this man.  
Lilie couldn't help but slowly stand up and step away from the bench, while facing the man. His demonic red eyes gazing into her's. She could see that he too seemed interested in her. His eyes were eventually looking over, almost trying to figure something out. But he couldn't seem to.

"Long enough." finally came the man's very quiet answer. His voice was so dark and quiet, yet there wasn't any threat behind it. It was like he hadn't spoken for a very long time. The man then tilted his head a little to the side, towards her. "Who are you?"

Lilie bit her lip as she just gazed into the man's strange blood red eyes. After a minute, she swallowed hard. "I'm Lilie." She whispered to him. She could almost see the frown on the man's face but it was a little hard because of the face guard. He then dipped his head, looking down at the piano, before he gently closed the lid over the keys. "Who are you?

His eyes met Lilie's again when she spoke up. He was quiet for a long time before he slowly shook his head. "No one of importance. What are you doing in here?" He said quietly.

Lilie shook her head as she looked around the room. "I was just curious about this place. I was told so many things about it. I heard it was haunted but I just haven't seen any ghosts." She then looked at him. "Unless you are one." She could almost see the smirk on his face when he made a noise from his nose.

"No. I'm no ghost. I am a demon." He said in a quiet. "And this house is haunted. Haunted with memories of the past. You should not be here."

"I'm not afraid of this place. And I'm not afraid of you. So don't try to scare me. Because it won't work." Lilie said sounding very brave. The man made a sound as if he was chuckling deep within his throat. He turned away from her, looking around the room. "You are brave to defy what horrors that lie in this place." He then looked at her. "You speak like you are not afraid of anything. Why were you crying if you are not afraid?"

Lilie had to look away in shame. She couldn't believe she had let this man see her tears. She quickly wiped what tears that were on her face as she turned away from him. "I wasn't crying."

"Of course you weren't."

She gave the man a look. Was he mocking her? She didn't dare to say anything about it. "I just miss the man that I love, that's all. My heart has been broken from a trecherous plot to break us apart. Unfortunately, it had worked. I thought he didn't love me and I said some really horrible things to him before I left. But then I learned that he really did." She sighed. "I just..."

"You're afraid that if you spoke to him again, he would hate you."

Lilie looked at the man before she slowly nodded. "Yes." She then frowned, her eyes narrowing at him. She could not help but wonder who this man was. He seemed to understand how she was feeling. But how could that be? He was a stranger. She didn't know who he was. "Who are you?" She asked again.

The man just watched her carefully. He finally gave his head a nod. "I am Vincent Valentine." He said quietly.

That really turned on a light in Lilie's head. Her eyes lit up and she looked at the man with surprise. It seemed to confuse him of her reaction but he didn't say anything about it. "You? You're Vincent Valentine of the Turks?"

Vincent Valentine gave a low grunt before shaking his head. "Former Turk. I have left Shinra Inc. I must admit that I am surprised that you know of me and my infileration with the company." He said quietly. Lilie faintly smiled. "Oh, I know you all right. You were once my childhood hero. I had always dreamed of meeting you. But I gave up my hope when I heard that you were dead. My father had told me that you were dead. He said that he had met you a long time ago when you were still a Turk."

The Ex-Turk was quiet for a long time before he lift his head a little higher. "Perhaps I have met him. Who is your father?"

"Devid Moy. He was a scientist for Shinra." Lilie said before she sighed. "He's dead. Along with my mother." She saw something flash in the man's eyes. It was no doubt recognition.

"You're Bella's daughter?"

Lilie frowned at her mother's name but she slowly nodded. "Yes. How did you know that?"

Vincent shook his head as he turned away. "Forget it, Lilie Moy. My past is my own. I never tell anyone about me."

"You know, I'm a Turk too. I've always wanted to live up to your name." Lilie said. Vincent turned back, his red eyes meeting her's. "You're a Turk?" he earned a nod. "Then you should leave Shinra while you have a chance.

That surprised Lilie. "Leave Shinra? Why?"

"They are trecherous, Lilie Moy. They will lie to you and use you. Leave them before they do the same thing they did to me." Vincent said before he turned towards the door as if to leave. "Leave this place. It is full of nightmares that you should not want to find. The nightmare is only beginning and this mansion is the beginning. Forget that you've ever met me. I am a demon of darkness now because of Shinra. They are my enemy and if you side with them, then you are my enemy as well. But I will not fight you. Leave me in this house, or perish." He then left the room.

Lilie just stood there, puzzled to the ears of what Vincent Valentine meant but it was clear that he wanted to be alone. She was confused of what he had said. Did Shinra do something terrible? Did it have something to do with Sephiroth? She decided not to even ask Vincent. She knew when someone wanted to be alone, it was best to obey their wishes. Especially when they used to be a very dangerous and powerful Turk like Vincent Valentine had been. Without a word, Lilie left the house, pausing at the door to look back around.  
"I don't know what they did to you, Vincent, but I promise you that Rufus isn't like his father. He's very kind and gentle when people treats him like he's human and not some tool. Whatever happened, I'm sorry for what they did." She called into the house before she left.

**A/N: Okay, if you are wondering what the song that Lilie has played actually sounded like, you can actually find the exact song on in the Final Fantasy VII files and it is actually called 'Beyond the Heart of Midgar'.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. lol. Yes, Vincent has made his appearence. And just to answer one little question that I got from someone, yes, he has a mild connection with Lilie's parents. I won't tell you how right now. You will find out sooner or later but not in this chapter.  
In this chapter, Lilie will have her big encounter with Avalanche and Sephiroth. You shall see what happens, starting now. Read and Review please.**

**Chapter 14:**

Lilie never went back into the house, knowing that if she did, she would probably encounter Vincent again and she didn't feel like she wanted to do that. He seemed much colder and distant that her father had said once before. She also couldn't get the thought out of her head, that Vincent had once knew her mother. But how? How did he know her? She did want to ask him but she was afraid he might not tell her. And to escape from disappointment, she wouldn't ask.

Over the next few days, Lilie was keeping her eyes on the strange Sephiroth clones like Tseng had ordered for her to do. The only things that they kept saying was something about Sephiroth and some kind of reunion. It just completely confused her.  
Then one day, she felt a very cold and eerie feeling coming over her. She didn't know what it was but she knew that something bad was happening. Something was calling to her. Lilie opened her eyes and looked towards the window. She could hear voices in the square, and they sounded familiar.

Without a word, she climbed out of the bed she had been sleeping in and walked over to the window, looking out. It was too her surprise she saw a group of people, some she recognized. She recognized Aeris standing next to Tifa Lockhart and the creature called Red XIII. There was a big black man standing next the unforgettable Cait Sith. She smiled seeing him. It looked quite promising now that it was alive. But her eyes stopped on the leader of the group. The memory immediately flashed into her mind when she laid eyes on the blonde haired man with gravity defying hair. There was no way she could forget that kind of hair style.  
"Cloud Strife...I remember you now." She whispered.  
She turned and hurried out of the inn, not making eye contact with any of the Avalanche members as she passed by them. She did notice that some of them were looking in her direction but they didn't say or do anything. Lilie just went over to where she had a stand set up and sat down on a barrel, pretending to find interest in one of the items she was 'selling' while watching and listening to the group.

"What the hell is this?! Cloud, you trying to pull something?!" The big black man growled.

Cloud shook his head as he looked around with shock. "I'm not lying! I remember the intense heat of the flames!" He said. Tifa Lockhart nodded. "He's right, Barret! I remember them too! Maybe we should just wander around, looking for answers." She said. Everyone nodded and they started to walk around.

Lilie caught sight of Cloud looking at her, a deep frown on his face. He looked like he was trying to remember something but he was having a hard time too. He wasn't the only one though. Tifa Lockhart was also looking at her as was Cait Sith. It was no doubt that Tifa remembered her from Junon. It just made the pretty martial artist frown before she shook her head and walked over to a house, going inside.  
The others were just looking around, asking some of the townspeople questions. Cait Sith, on the other hand, was hobbling over to her. Lilie kept her face down trying not to look at the cat. It was a little hard now that the cat hopped off the big mog and stood right below her, looking up into her face. She tried to look away but the cat then gasped and jumped back.

"Lilie?"

That made Lilie really looked at it, her eyes squinting a little. It really did have annoying voice. "Hi, Cait. How's it going?" She asked tossing her bangs back.

The cat quickly climbed back onto the mog and stared at her with wide eyes. "Lilie, what are you doing here?" It whispered to her. Lilie narrowed her eyes at Cait Sith. "I'm working here, Reeve. Tseng sent me here to keep an eye on these Sephiroth clones and to keep an eye out for Avalanche. And since your with these people, they're Avalanche." She said in a low voice.

The cat pulled a face before he nodded. "Yeah. They're them all right. But...what are you doing here? I thought...where have you been?" It whispered back.

Lilie then caught sight of the man Barret watching. "Cait, that big black man is watching. Better pretend your buying something from me." She whispered holding out some items for Cait Sith to see. The cat immediately acted like he was looking each thing over. "That's Barret. He gives me the creeps. He's really grouchy and always yelling at people. He can be nice though." He whispered as he pointed at a few items.

"What about the girl? The one next to Aeris?"

"That's Yuffie. We just picked her up. She's really strange. She tried to rob us not too long ago but she failed miserably. She's really good at fighting though." The cat then frowned. "Do you know Aeris?" He asked, curiously. Lilie nodded. "Yeah. I better go before she recognizes me. She knows I'm a Turk." She whispered. "Oh, and don't tell anyone that you saw me. Only Tseng and the other Turks knows I'm around."

Cait Sith nodded. "All righty. See you around, Lil. I'm so glad to have finally met ya!" The cat then said. Lilie frowned at him. Then the cat rolled his eyes. "He's still needs a little work, Lilie. Cait Sith's got his own personality." She heard Reeve's own voice through the cat. She only nodded before she walked away.

Not long after, while she was looking at some of the Sephiroth clones, she was surprised to see how the clones suddenly got excited. They began to murmur, "Sephiroth! He's here! In the mansion!"

That made Lilie's heart speed up as she spun around on her heel and look towards the mansion. "Sephiroth." she whispered before she ran towards the house. She was just about to enter the gate when suddenly the front door was thrown open, revealing a very familiar man. Lilie was astonished to see him.  
It was Sephiroth and he was speeding towards her.  
Lilie gasped as she jumped to the side, almost getting hit but him. "Sephiroth." She said, trying to be quiet, yet get his attention. It worked. Because he immediately halted in the air, and turned back around, giving her the iciest glare he ever had. It really scared her. Sephiroth had never looked at her like that before. Lilie just stood there, against the fence looking right into his eyes. Sephiroth looked her over with a deep scowl. "Sephiroth, it's me. Lilie. Don't you remember me?" Lilie asked in a soft voice.

Sephiroth frowned at her. "Should I?" He asked coldly.

"We were friends, remember? You taught me how to fight better when I was young. Don't you remember?" Lilie asked, sounding hurt.

Sephiroth gritted his teeth before swinging his blade at her. Lilie gasped as she dropped down to her knees covering her head. "I don't have time for friends! Such a pathedic word! I don't have time for pathedic humans like you!" He snapped before he flew away.

Lilie was out of breath as she felt her heart racing with fear. She couldn't believe it! Sephiroth had almost cut her head off. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she she felt hurt of his cruel words. "Sephiroth..." She gasped before she felt a painful sting on her arm. She looked down to see a deep cut in her skin. She gasped in pain as she saw the blood running down her forearm. He had cut her, harmed her!  
That man she had just seen...he was not the Sephiroth she once knew.  
Lilie lowered her head, letting the tears run down her face. She was hurt, emotionally and physically. Why didn't Sephiroth remember her? They had been friends for god's sake! He had saved her life and taught her how to fight.

It was at that second she felt someone touch her shoulder, making her jump. She gasped as she looked up, almost waiting to see Sephiroth come back and kill her but to her surprise it was Vincent Valentine, bent down to one knee in front of her. Behind him was the group of Avalanche. She watched as Aeris's eyes lit up with recognition and the others just looked concerned.

"Lilie, what happened?" Vincent asked in a very low voice.

Lilie winced from the pain in her arm. "S-Sephiroth...he tried to kill me..." She whimpered. Vincent's red eyes darkened before he reached up and wiped her eyes with his gloved hand. "It's all right. You're not going to die." He turned back and looked at Aeris, who seemed to understand. She hurried forward and bent over her.

"Vincent, who is that?" Cloud asked as he stepped forward, looking very concerned.

The Ex-Turk just glanced at Lilie, who looked at Aeris with panic. Lilie then looked at him, almost in a begging way. She didn't want Cloud to know who she was. And what she was. It would be her end.  
Aeris then shook her head. "She's just an item sales girl, a civilian, Cloud. And she's hurt." She then waved her hand over Lilie's arm and the red haired Turk watched as the cut in her arm healed over like nothing. She gave Aeris a thankful smile, who smiled right back.

"Ya going to be all righ', miss?" Barret Wallace asked, tilting his head. Lilie looked at him with surprised but then she smiled. "Yes. Thank you for your kindness." She said. She stood up with Vincent's help and smiled at the group.

"Who cut you like that?" Tifa Lockhart asked.

Lilie shook her head as she pointed towards the mountains. "That man wearing all black. Sephiroth. He cut me as he was leaving the house. He went that way." She said, her voice hardening a little. She was angry at what Sephiroth had done to her. How dare he?

Cloud looked towards the mountain before he frowned. "Sephiroth..." He looked at the others. "Let's go. We have to catch up to him." He said. Everyone nodded and started towards the mountain pass. Vincent paused to look at Lilie, who gave him a questioning look. She was wondering why he was leaving the mansion. Didn't he want to be left alone in his dark despairing prison? Hadn't he? As if he read her mind, he just shook his head. "This is my chance to redeem myself." He said quietly. Lilie slowly nodded. "Okay."

"You going to be all right, Lilie?" Aeris asked softly. Lilie nodded. "I'll be fine. Thank you for your help, Aeris." She said just as softly. Aeris only smiled before she and Vincent hurried after the others. Lilie watched them with a frown. She knew that she shouldn't have let Avalanche go, but if they were so bad, why did they help her?

Lilie rested for next few days when she heard a knock on the door of her inn room. She looked up just as Tseng's head popped in. He looked concerned when he saw her. "Lilie, I got your message. What happened?" He asked as he walked in. Lilie sighed as she climbed off the bed and walked over to him. "You were right, Tseng. Sephiroth has changed. He's not the man I once knew." She said. Tseng gave her a very concerned look now. He seemed to guess what may have happened but he asked anyway. "What did he do?"

Lilie shook her head. "He tried to kill me, Tseng. And Avalanche helped me. I'm so confused now." She said softly. Tseng nodded slowly. "Come on. We've got a mission to do." He said. Lilie nodded and followed him out of Nibelhiem. "Where are we going?" She asked as they climbed into the helecoptor.

"We're going to Gold Saucer. Reeve called us to tell us he has the keystone." Tseng said. Lilie frowned. "The what?" She asked.  
Tseng shook his head. "A lot has happened over the past few days while you were here. Avalanche went to Rocket Town and met Rufus there. They recruited a new member. A man called Cid Highwind, who's quite angry with Rufus right now. They're now looking for a place called the Temple of the Ancients. But they need something called the Keystone to get inside." He said with a sigh. "Things are getting a little tough, Lilie. I can't take you to Rufus right at this second. He's going back to Midgar, and that's way out of our path. Right now, we need to go to Gold Saucer to get the Keystone and meet Avalanche at the Temple. Rufus suspects that we might be able to work with them to getting rid of Sephiroth. It's the only way."

Lilie nodded. "I agree." She then frowned. "Tseng, they don't seem that bad. Why are we such enemies like that?"

"They don't like what Shinra is doing. And right now," Tseng sighed. "Niether do I." They rode in silence for the rest of the journey.

When they arrived at Gold Saucer, Cait Sith had called ahead, telling Tseng that he was being chased by Cloud and Aeris. They had found out that he took the Keystone from them. So Tseng told it to meet him in front of the Chocobo Races.  
Lilie caught sight of Cait Sith racing down the stairs with a very angry Cloud right behind him. "Give it here!" Tseng called as they moved closer. Cait Sith nodded and chucked a green orb towards them. "Here ya go!" The cat called before turning to face Cloud. Lilie could see how angry Cloud was about this trechery. It made her pity him. She couldn't blame him for being so angry. But she didn't say anything as the helecoptor flew away from Gold Saucer.

It was a silent ride to Costa Del Sol where they were going to pick up the Turk, Elena. Lilie was staring out the window, watching as they rode over the green fields of grass. She was thinking deeply about everything. How she missed Rufus. She wished Tseng could just take her to where he was now so she could speak with him. But she knew that she could wait. She was also thinking about that look that Sephiroth had given her. It scared her to see it. She hoped she would never have to see Sephiroth again after this. But it bothered her still. What had happened to him to make him forget her? To forget that girl that he cared about? She didn't know and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Are you all right?"

Lilie looked up at Tseng before faintly smiling. "Yeah. I'm all right. I'm just...I'm just wondering what happened to Sephiroth to make him hate me like he did back in Nibelhiem. Before this happened, he would always said, when we knew each other, that we would be friends forever and always. No matter what. But now I'm not so sure." She shook her head. "I guess he was lying."

Tseng frowned before he looked back out the window. "I don't know what I could tell you, Lilie. I only know that Sephiroth is dangerous and he is planning on destroying everyone."  
Lilie only nodded before faintly smiled. "Hey, Tseng?" Tseng looked at her. "You know, I've noticed something about Elena. She really likes you." She said with a smile. Tseng rose an eyebrow and he frowned at her. "So, your point is?" He asked. Lilie slyly smiled. "So, why don't you take her out to dinner sometime?" She had never seen Tseng go so red from blushing before. She immediately started laughing at the look on his face.

"Lilie! We're Turks! I'm her boss! That wouldn't be...!"

"Tseng, for god's sake. That didn't stop me and Rufus, now did it?" Lilie said still laughing.

Tseng just frowned at her. "Okay, bad example. But still..." He was saying. Lilie rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Tseng. You can break the rules too if you want." She said. Tseng chuckled. "All right, all right. So I'm a workoholic. Rub it in my face why don't you. I'll think about it, all right?" He said. Lilie nodded before she looked out the window with a sad smile. "And Lilie?" She looked back. Tseng gave her a smile. "He misses you too."

She smiled again, giving him a nod. "Thank you, Tseng." And they both fell into silence again.

They finally reached Costa Del Sol and picked up Elena, who looked a little peeved but she didn't say anything. Eventually on the ride to the Temple, she started to complain to Tseng about what happened in Wutai and Lilie listened. She frowned as she heard Elena say some really bad things about Reno and Rude, just because she was captured by Don Corneo when it was their vaca time. Lilie just shook her head, while looking away. She was not going to be brought into an arguement with this blonde.

Finally they arrived at the Temple and Lilie was in awe. She couldn't believe the sight of this place. The Temple was just like a pyramid, it's faces made out large stone. It was quite massive and she had never seen anything like it before.

When the helecopter landed, the three Turks climbed off and went up to the entrance of the Temple. Tseng pulled the Keystone out of his pocket and placed it in. Instantly, the three of them were teleported into the temple. It sure was a surprise though when they went inside. The inside was so twisted and turned, almost like a maze. And there was no doubt some really fierce monsters. That just made Lilie smile. She cracked her knuckles as she glanced over at Tseng and Elena. "So, why don't we have a little fun while we're here, shall we?" She asked. Both of the other two smiled and they began their journey through the temple. The monsters that they encountered were not like any monsters they ever had before. Some of them were quite strong. But the Turks, working together, were stronger.

They eventually found their way into a large room with pictures all over the walls. "Amazing." Tseng said as he looked around. The two Turk females walked with him, looking around the room.

"Wow. Look at this place. It's full of..." Lilie paused to think of the right word. "...knowledge."

Tseng nodded as he looked at her. "Well we better get to work. Elena, start getting some pictures of these murals. Lilie, go back up to the surface and keep an eye out for Avalanche. Alert us when they show up." He said. Lilie nodded as she turned and went back out.

When she reached the outside, she began checking around the Temple to see if there was any hidden secrets outside that no one had ever seen. It was quite enormous so it took a while to circle the entire building. It was then she started to feel something strange. The same eerie feeling she had felt when she felt Sephiroth's presence. It just made her shiver. She knew she had better go up to the entrance and guard it. So she turned around to go back, when suddenly something hit her and hard. It knocked her out completely before she hit the ground.

When Lilie came to, her head was throbbing like no other. She groaned as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, rubbing the back of her neck where it hurt the worst. What had hit her? She looked around, noting everything before she felt fear strike into her heart. What happened?! Where was Tseng and Elena?!

Lilie quickly climbed unsteadily to her feet and she raced back to the entrance to see if anyone had gotten in and to her shock, Tseng was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. His blood.

"Oh my god! Tseng!" She screamed as she rushed over to his side. She hurried and bent down next to him, touching his neck to see if he had a pulse. She could feel one so that meant he was still alive. But just barely. She knew she had to get him to some help and quick. "Tseng, you just hold on, you hear?" She said as she tried her best to lift him up. She winced a little because he was quite heavy. "All right, Tseng. You're going to have to wake up right now." She grunted between her teeth. She heard him groan at that second and he weakly looked up at her.

"Li-Lilie..." He gasped.

"Tseng, come on! I can't carry you by myself. You're going to have to stand up." Lilie cried out. Tseng groaned in pain but tried his best to get to his feet. He was leaning against Lilie for support but also trying to keep standing. "Tseng, what happened? Who did this to you?!" She cried out.

The Turk Leader slowly shook his head as he held his side, where he was cut. "Sep-Sephiroth came. He...he stabbed me with that sword of his." He said. Lilie felt her rage burning like fire but she knew she had to get him to a hospital. Her thoughts were immediately on Healin. She practically carried him outside to an open area and started to radio in the helecopter. It was on its way and fast.

As they waited, they suddenly heard a loud rumbling noise and it made them both turn around just to see the Temple shrinking. It shocked Lilie to see such a thing. Tseng was too out of it to actually notice. Finally the helecopter arrived and they climbed in. "Hurry to Healin Lodge and fast!" Lilie ordered as she began to pull off Tseng's bloodied jacket. She quickly began to apply pressure to Tseng's chest, to make sure that the blood would stop bleeding. She paused only once as the helecopter began to rise, just to see a familiar group standing outside the forest. "Avalanche..." She whispered. And then they were out of view.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: All right! Thank you for your quick reviews, guys. Now, here's the chapter you've been waiting for! Read and review.**

**Chapter 15:**

She was sitting in the waiting room, blood all over her Turk uniform, staring out the window. She remembered the last time she had been there. It had been the dedication for the Lodge. Lilie was very worried about Tseng. From what the doctors had told her so far, he had lost a lot of blood and there was a good chance that he wouldn't make it. It hurt Lilie to hear that he might die. He was after all one of her heros and he had helped her so much while she was young. He had practically raised her while she was training for Turks.

The doctors and nurses had tried to get Lilie to get some rest but she refused to sleep. She had way too many things on her mind and she knew she couldn't sleep right at the second.

"Lilie!"

She turned around to see Reeve hurrying over to her. She faintly smiled and turned fully towards him. "Reeve..." She whispered. The Head of Urban Developement surprised her when he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank god you're all right. What happened?! When I heard that you were here, I came as fast as I could."

Lilie sighed and shook her head. She then explained to him what had happened, while they sat down, drinking coffee. Reeve listened in silence, frowning with concern as he heard what Sephiroth had done.  
But when she finished, he sighed. "Things are getting so horrible now. I can't understand why everything is falling apart." He then looked up at her. "I don't think I can work as a double agent anymore, Lilie. Not against Avalanche. I'm starting to like them. They know Cait Sith is a spy for Shinra but they still treat him like he's their friend. Ever since I used the original to get the Black Materia." He smiled when he saw Lilie frown with confusion. "The Black Materia is a very dangerous object, Lilie. It's a powerful ultimate magic that Sephiroth has been after all along. Unfortunately, he has it. He's going to use it to call a destructive magic called Meteor." He frowned deeply. "It's going to destroy the Planet if Cloud and his crew doesn't get it back from him. He wants to become one with the Planet."

"What does that mean?" Lilie asked.

Reeve shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't like it. And neither does Avalanche. They're chasing after him right now." A very painful look appeared on his face. "And...Lilie, do you remember Aeris, right?"

Lilie did not like the way he said that. "Yes. Of course I remember her. She's such a sweet lady. She healed me when Sephiroth cut my arm. And Tseng introduced me to her a long time ago." She said trying to smile. Reeve slowly nodded. "Yeah, that's her. Unfortunately, you should say it in the past tense now. She's dead, Lilie."

That came as a heavy blow for Lilie. She breathed in sharply when she heard that. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she took in the information. "What?" She asked breathlessly.

Reeve lowered his head, looking pained. "Sephiroth killed her right in front of Avalanche. Everyone watched her die. It hurt them so bad, Lilie. It was horrible." He said, sounding like he was going to break down. Lilie felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Oh god...why did he kill her?" She asked. Reeve shook his head. "I don't know. She was praying for something at a place called the Forgotten City, the City of the Ancients. She had left Cloud and his friends in Gongonga, taking off on her own. She said that only she could stop Sephiroth now. But now...she's dead. He dropped down from a hundred foot fall and stabbed her in the back." he shook his head. "He's a monster, Lilie. A complete monster."

Lilie couldn't stop from crying to hear that Aeris was now dead. She then looked up at Reeve through tear filled eyes. "I'm going to kill him, Reeve. Even if it's the last thing I do. I will make sure he dies for everything he's done. He is not my friend anymore." She said with pain.  
Reeve gave her a faint smile before he pulled her into a hug. Lilie cried against him, letting her tears just run down her cheeks. After a while, Reeve stood up, holding her hand. "I'll take you Rufus now. I know where he's going after he gets back from the Northern Continent." he said. Lilie slowly nodded as she stood up. She turned back to the window to Tseng's room. Her eyes were full of sadness as she watched him rest. "Goodbye, Tseng. I'll never forget you." She whispered and she turned and went with Reeve.

* * *

They took a helecoptor from Midgar to Junon. Reeve was letting Lilie look through the vid screen that lead straight to Cait Sith's eyes. Right at the moment, Avalanche were climbing a huge snowy mountain. While everyone else was shivering from the cold, he was just carefully watching the others. Lilie spotted Vincent walking alongside Tifa, and they seemed to be having a deep conversation. It made Lilie smile to see him again. 

"Reeve, what's Vincent Valentine like?" She finally asked, looking at him.

Reeve snorted as he looked at the screen. "Vincent? He is one creepy guy. He doesn't like to talk too much and when he does, he's talking about sins and how terrible things happen to the people he tries to protect." He shook his head. "He's sort of coming out of his quiet ways now. Tifa won't leave him alone unless he talks to her."

That made Lilie laughed. "But what's he like? Is he a good fighter? What?" She asked impatiently.

Reeve grinned at her. "Oh, believe me. He's an excellent fighter. He's very fast and careful on what he does. He's really good with that gun of his and he has these creepy demons he can turn into. He seems to know something about Sephiroth's history but he refuses to say anything."

Lilie frowned. "Why is he with Avalanche? When I met him, all he wanted to do was be left alone. And suddenly he's with a group of people."

"He's with them because Cloud promised him that he could kill Hojo, Lilie." Reeve said in a very careful tone. That made Lilie frown. She knew that the scientist was disliked very much but why would Vincent want to kill him? "He wants to kill Hojo?"  
Reeve nodded. "Yes. Apparently Hojo did something terrible to him and he really loathes him. I think Hojo is responcible for what happened to him, while he was a Turk. He went missing years and years back. Hojo had said that he was dead and suddenly he shows up, still alive and the same age he was 30 years ago. Hojo altered his body, making him almost inhuman. He wants to go with Avalanche because eventually they will run into Hojo and he will kill him. Not much of a loss if you ask me. That sick bastard has it coming." He said. Lilie nodded agreement.

Finally the helecopter touched down in Junon and the two went into the base. Reeve escorted Lilie to the Presidential suite where she could stay for a while. "He will be here in a few days, Lilie. But you better prepare yourself. I don't think you'll like the person he's turn into." Reeve warned her. Lilie faintly smiled. "Don't worry about me, Reeve. I'll be all right. I'm practically the only one that can handle Rufus. He wouldn't hurt me. Not unless he's stupid. And we know that he's not." She said. Reeve nodded as he gave her hand a squeeze and then he left. She wouldn't see Reeve for quite sometime after that.

Over the next few days, Lilie spent her time wandering around the base, getting to know some old faces she once knew and training in the training center. She was also preparing herself for a fight. After talking with Rufus, she was planning on leaving again to try and track Sephiroth down herself. She was going to make sure he stayed dead this time.

Things, however, got a lot worst.

Because while she was doing some moves in the Presidential palace, there was an Earthquake of some kind and a loud rumbling noise. Lilie gasped as she fell to the floor and braced herself for something to fall on her. After a few minutes of the loud rumbling and shaking, she looked towards the window and to her horror, there was a large flaming black rock in the sky.  
Without a word, she went over and looked up at the rock. "Oh my god." She whispered. She knew what had happened. Sephiroth had summoned Meteor. The Planet was going to be destroyed and no one could do anything.

The very next day was when Rufus came back.

Lilie had been taking a shower, getting cleaned up after a long training section in the training room. She felt much better being clean. As soon as she was done, she climbed out of the shower and pulled on her cloths. She was wearing a light blue skirt that ran down to her ankles and a white halter top. She dried her hair and left it hanging down. She decided that she was going to go for a walk around Junon to pass the time.  
As she started to pull on her shoes, it was at that precise moment that she heard yelling in the hall. Someone was fighting with another person and it was coming towards the room. With a gasp, she quickly stepped back into the bathroom, closing the door a little and peered out through the crack. The door to the bedroom slammed open and someone entered.

By the voice that Lilie heard, it was Rufus. He seemed to be yelling at someone in the hall.

"I don't care what it takes just prepare the Harbor for anything! I will not have it that it's not ready to take down the Weapons! As for Avalanche, leave them alone for now! We will deal with them later!" Rufus yelled at someone in the hall.

"But Rufus...!" Lilie could hear Scarlett.

"Bite me, you slut! Now leave me alone!" Rufus yelled before slamming the door. That made Lilie smile to herself. She was now left alone with Rufus. This was the perfect opportunity to reveal herself. She looked through the crack to see what Rufus was doing. At the moment he was pacing in the room, looking very disturbed about something. It was the state the room was in. He had picked up a bra that was lying on the bed, looking at it with horror. Lilie nearly started laughing right there.  
"Damn it, who in the hell has been in my room?! Those stupid security guards will pay for their laziness!" Rufus growled before he tossed the bra to the side and went over to a table with liquor bottles and shotglasses. There was a mirror on the wall right over the table and Rufus wasn't looking at it right at the second.

Lilie decided that it was time. She quietly pushed the door opened and stepped out of the bathroom.

Rufus still hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone. He just poured himself a drink of whatever it was in the bottle and then drank it down with one swallow. He then poured himself another glass and then looked into the mirror at his reflection. There was something haunting about the expression on his face. Lilie knew instantly that he had been pain for quite some time. She faintly smiled, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched him.  
Rufus was just staring into his own eyes, when they turned onto the reflection of Lilie. She saw a confused look appear on his face as he stared at her reflection. He then looked down at the bottle and glass in his hand before looking back at her. "Damn. This stuff is stronger than I thought." He murmured. Lilie gave him a faint smile as he stared at her. "Hello, Rufus." She finally said softly.

Rufus stiffened when he heard her voice. His eyes grew extremely wide before he slowly turned around and looked straight at her. His face had gone very pale as he stared at her, looking at her as if she was a ghost. And that's what was going through his mind. He believed he was looking at Lilie's ghost.

"Don't worry. It's me. You're not seeing a ghost." Lilie said trying not to laugh. Rufus just stared at her before the glass and the bottle slipped from his hands and smashed against the ground. Glass went flying across the ground as did liquid. But Rufus didn't pay any attention to the mess he just made. He couldn't help but just stared at Lilie with wide eyes and his mouth had fallen.

It was at that very second the door opened and Scarlett stepped into the room. "Rufus! I heard glass breaking! What's going..." She stopped talking when she saw Lilie standing off to the side. Her face twisted with rage and jealousy. "What is she doing here?!" She demanded.

Lilie frowned at her before she walked over to Scarlett and gave her a mighty shove out the door. "Stay the hell out of here!" She snapped before slamming the door shut and locked it. She just turned away from the door, ignoring that Scarlett was now banging on it and screaming. Instead, she just looked back at Rufus, who was speechless to see her. She faintly smiled as she stepped away from the door.

"Lil-Lilie...is that really you? I'm not dreaming am I?" Rufus asked in a very quiet voice.

Lilie smiled at him and shook her head. "It's me, Rufus. Don't be afraid." She said quietly. She smiled even more as she saw tears fill Rufus's eyes and his lips slowly curved into a smile. "Oh my god. It is you." he said before he walked over to her hurriedly. Lilie laughed softly before she met him half way throwing her arms around his neck while he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Lilie." He said in a breathless way. Lilie felt her own tears in her eyes as she was reunited with him.

They suddenly broke apart when the door opened again and Scarlett stepped back in with a key in her hand. Rufus immediately glared at her before he stepped away from Lilie and stormed over to her.

"Damn it, Scarlett! What the hell did Lilie just tell you?! Stay the hell out of here!" He yelled before snatching the key out of her hand and shoved her right out the door. He slammed it and locked it again. He turned back, throwing the key to the side and looked at the smiling Lilie. He faintly smiled back as he walked over to her and pulled her to him again. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her tightly, almost afraid that if he let her go she would disappear again. Lilie only smiled as she held onto his jacket, her face pressed against his chest.

After awhile of just standing against each other and holding one another, they broke apart and sat down to talk. Lilie then explained everything that had happened to her. She told him about what his father had tried to do to her and why she had run. She told him what she had been doing for the past year and how she tried to get his attention while in Junon before he left. She didn't leave anything out at all.  
Rufus was quiet for a minute when she was done before he looked at her. "I thought I had heard your voice that day. I looked for you but didn't see you. I thought I had been hearing things." He said to her.

Lilie shook her head. "No, it was me all right. I ran into Tseng after that and he told me what's been happening." She shook her head. "Rufus, I'm so sorry for what I said to you that day. I should have listened. If I did we wouldn't have been in this mess." She said with tears in her eyes. Rufus frowned before he moved over, bending in front of her and pulling her into a hug. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. It was that stupid Old Man Shinra and his bitch, Scarlett. I never blamed you for what happened if that's what you thought."

"I blame myself, Rufus. I know that you didn't blame me. And I've been so scared of what you would say if I showed up. I was so scared that you would hate me for what happened." Lilie cried against him.

Rufus pulled her to her feet and held her close. "It's all right. We're back together now. Things are going to change around here, now that you're back." He whispered into her hair. Lilie only smiled up at him. "Kiss me, Rufus." She whispered. And he happily obliged.

After that, they found theirselves on Rufus's bed, slowly pulling their shirts off and kissing with passionate fire. Lilie breathed against Rufus's neck as he began kissing her bare chest. "God, I missed you, Rufus." She whimpered. Rufus just groaned against her as he slowly began to pull her dress down from her waist. "I missed you so much, Lilie. Don't ever run away from me again." He managed to groan as he kissed her.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not without you." Lilie whispered before she pulled him into a passionate kiss. They soon shared their love that they had been longing to share for so long now.

It was well in the next morning when they decided to stop. Both of them were out of breath and laying against one another. Sweat coated their bodies as they laughed softly together. The glow of the morning light was slowly starting to enter the windows. The sky was pale red and pink and slowly glowing from the Meteor in the sky.

"Lilie, promise me you'll never leave me again." Rufus whispered as he held her.

Lilie smiled up at him, giving him a loving look. "I promise. As long as you promise me that you'll never leave." she whispered.

Rufus nodded to her. "I promise." And he kissed her.

After that long passionate kiss, he turned away from her, grabbing his white jacket. Lilie watched him in wonder as he began digging into his pockets but she smiled as she watched him pull out a long silver chain with a blue green orb hanging on it. "You left this. Don't leave it again." He whispered to her as he rolled over, to face her again, while putting it around her neck. Lilie only smiled as she rolled over and let him do up the clasp. As soon as it was back on, she turned back and they kissed again.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: Thank you, everyone. Yes, I know that last chapter was the best, but after this one, you might hate me again. (grins evilly). Like I've said before, in this story, I'm intertwining Lilie's story with the game storyline, twisting it with my own liking, just so that you're not confused on what's going on later. **

**Read and review.

* * *

****Chapter 16:**

It was clear to everyone else that Rufus was in a very good mood when he went down for Brunch with the Heads to discuss what they were going to do with Avalanche and plan on how they were going to destroy Sephiroth. Not to mention what they were going to do with the Meteor.  
Everyone had expected to see Rufus come into the conference room, looking extremely foul mannered, yet he strode, whistling. It stunned everyone but Scarlett. She knew what he had done to make him in such a good mood.

And so did Reeve. Because he smiled up at Rufus and gave him a nod in greeting. "Good morning, Mr. President Rufus." he said cheerfully.

Everyone else just winced, expecting him to give Reeve a cold look and barked at him but they were stunned to see that he nodded in return as he sat down. "Good morning, Reeve." He said as he looked around the room at the stunned looks on everyone's faces and the angry look on Scarlett's face. He narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a cool look. "Scarlett, if you don't get that look off your face, I will make sure your check gets deducted again. If I have to remind you, you are the age of my mother and you will never bed down with me, so stop trying." He said coldly. Everyone else just snorted with laughter while Scarlett glared. Her glare soon turned onto the pretty red haired woman that just walked into the room.

Reeve immediately stood up with Rufus when she entered while the others looked just as stunned to see Lilie. Lilie was wearing a very pretty white one piece dress for that day and she returned the smile to Reeve before going over to Rufus. "Good morning, everyone." She said before she turned to Rufus. "Morning."

Rufus only smiled as he placed his hand on her arm and kissed her gently on the cheek. That really made everyone just stare in bewilderment.

"Lil-Lilie Moy?" Heidigger gasped.

Lilie smiled towards him. "That's my name, don't wear it out." She said as she sat down next to Rufus, who still stood. "As you already know Lilie, I don't have to introduce my girlfriend." He said with a smile. That made eyes bug out from everyone while Reeve grinned. "OH! Happy day!" he said cheerfully. The others just grinned and applauded for them. "It's about time he got himself a girl!" Palmer squeaked. Lilie only smiled ignoring the hated looks she was getting from Scarlett.

They all began to eat while planning about what they were going to do about Weapons. Lilie just sat there in silence, thinking about everything. But then she looked at Rufus. "Rufus, I remember I heard you say that Avalanche was here in Junon. Where are they?" She asked. Rufus only glanced at her before shrugging. "They are either in the medical lab or they are in jail cells."  
Lilie frowned. "Jail cells?" She asked before she shook her head. "I would like to go see them. If that's all right." She said. Rufus frowned as he rose an eyebrow in her direction. "Why?"  
"You know why, Rufus. I told you last night." she told him. Rufus then nodded. "All right. I'll give you clearence to see them. But you be careful around them. They find out what you mean to me, they might try something against you." Lilie only frowned but she didn't say anything.

* * *

Later, while wearing her Turk uniform, Lilie made her way down the hall towards the jail cells area. She was thinking about what she was going to say to the Avalanche members. She knew how much trouble they were in for being there. She had heard what was going to be done with them. She only hoped that she could talk Rufus out of killing them. She was their only hope of living. 

As she walked, she glanced into a few of the windows to see who was in what room. The only ones that weren't in a prison cell was Barret Wallace and Tifa Lockhart, who were both in the medical room. Lilie wasn't going to go see them though. She knew that if she revealed herself to them, they would get angry.

"...damnable creature! It's your fault, you know."

Lilie frowned as she heard a voice near one of the cells. She picked up her pace and turned a corner to another hall to more cells. She found Hojo standing in front of a cell, sneering. Lilie then heard an angry growl from within the cell.

"I've been waiting for many years to killing you, Hojo, for what you did to Lucrecia. I can wait for a few more days. And I promise you that your death will be very painful." Vincent Valentine's voice hissed from within the room.

Hojo smirked at the prisoner. "I highly doubt that, Valentine. You will be dead as soon as your pretty friend, Miss Lockhart wakes up." He then pulled a sympathedic look. "Oh, it's a shame that I couldn't play with her before she dies. I have so many experiments in mind for her. Maybe I can talk Rufus into keeping Miss Lockhart, and letting me do some on her." He said with a sick grin. There was a deep growl and Lilie heard Vincent bang against the door with rage. But she wasn't going to let him say anything at that second. Instead she grabbed her Psis, and stood firm in the middle of the hall. "That won't be happening, Hojo." She said in a cold way.

Hojo immediately turned around with surprise but then his eyes narrowed. "Miss Moy, I am surprised to see you again." He turned fully towards her. "What makes you think you can stop me from experimenting on Miss Lockhart?"

Lilie narrowed her eyes. "Because I won't let you. You will never touch Tifa Lockhart as long as I live. And," She held up a Psi, giving him a warning look. "...if you try to kill me to full fill that promise, you better be prepared to face the consequences. Rufus will have your head if you do." She said coldly.

Hojo narrowed his eyes dangerously. "How dare you..." He growled.

"I very well dare, you snake. Now get the hell out of here and don't come back here to taunt the prisoners." Lilie snapped. Hojo gave her a very dangerous look before he turned and stormed down the hall. Lilie glared after him before she walked over to the door he had been standing in front of and looked in right into those blood red eyes. A faint smile curled onto her lips as she saw Vincent, standing there. "Hello, Vincent Valentine. It's good to see you again." She said softly.

Vincent just tilted his head as he looked at her. "That probably wasn't wise to threatening him like that." He said quietly.

Lilie shook her head. "He can't do anything to me, Vincent, for two reasons. One, I'm a Turk and I have trained against some of his monsters before and two, I am Rufus's girlfriend. He tries to hurt me, it will be his death bed."

"So, your lover, the one you mentioned is Rufus Shinra." he said quietly.

Lilie slowly nodded. "Yes." She then frowned. "Don't worry, Vincent. I won't let them kill you or the others. I will talk Rufus out of the execution. You will not die." She promised.

Vincent frowned at her. "Why would you do that? You are a Turk, an enemy. We are your enemies." He said quietly.

Lilie shook her head. "No you're not. You are not my enemy, Vincent. My enemy is Sephiroth. He used to be my friend but when he tried to kill me, killed Tseng and Aeris, he turned into my enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And that is you and Avalanche. I will make sure you get out of her alive. I promise." She said. Vincent just stared into her eyes before his face softened. "It's not like me to say such things but you remind me of your mother."

That made Lilie frown with confusion before she tilted her head in wonder. "Did you know her?" She asked. There was a long silence between them before Vincent slowly nodded. "Yes. I knew her. She was my friend." he said softly.

Lilie slowly smiled at him. "Good. That makes us friends."

* * *

Over the next few days, Lilie spent most of her time with Rufus, getting to know him again. She still hadn't said anything about releasing Avalanche. She was a little worried of what he might say. But finally the day before the execution, she knew she had to say something.  
It was after a love making session, while he was going over some papers in their room. Lilie was lying on her stomache, wearing a white silk robe, watching him. "Rufus, we need to talk." 

Rufus immediately looked up at her. He didn't like the way she said that. He frowned, dropping the papers and walked over to the bed, looking at her. What's wrong, Lilie?" He asked. Lilie slowly shook her head. "It's about the execution tomorrow, for Avalanche."

"What, you want to be there when they die?" He asked with a faint teasing smile.

Lilie sighed as she sat up on her heels. "No. I think we should just let them go. We shouldn't kill them." She said. Rufus frowned at her. "What?" He asked in disbelief. Lilie took his hand, holding it gently. "Rufus, killing them is not going to help us. We should be joining alliances with them in destroying Sephiroth, not killing them." She said. Rufus just continued to frown. "But, Lilie, they tried to kill me. And we need someone to blame the Meteor problem on. They are the perfect people, Lilie." He said. Lilie frowned at him with her own disbelief before she dropped her hand, giving him a lecturing look. "Rufus Shinra! I can not believe you just said that!"

"What?" Rufus asked as if he was being accused of something.

Lilie just gave him a look. "Rufus, they saved my life! Isn't that good enough instead of killing them just to make Shinra Inc. look good?! Why are you doing this?" She asked angrily. Rufus just frowned at her, his eyes darkening a little. "Lilie! This is for Shinra Inc., for us. They are nothing but a gang of criminal terrorists and they are against fighting against me."

"Do you want to know why, Rufus Shinra, they are fighting against you?! Because you are acting like your father! You are trying to control the world, just like him! You are not the king of the world, Rufus! No one can control the world! Avalanche is just trying to make you see that!" Lilie said, her voice a little louder.  
"Lilie!" Rufus barked at her. "Don't you dare call me my father! I am nothing like him!" Lilie just stared at him with surprise when he yelled at her but then she frowned, giving him a look. She looked away from him as she climbed off the bed and moved over to where her cloths were. "Lilie, what are you doing? Come back to bed." Rufus said, now sounding guilty. She turned back giving him a dark look. "No. I will not. You snapped at me."

Rufus sighed as he stood and went over to her, his arms gently wrapping around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just..." He lowered his head. "I don't want to be my father. It hurts me to think that you think I am just like him. I'm sorry." He said softly. Lilie blew out her own sigh as she gently cupped his face into her hands. "Then let them go, Rufus. Let Avalanche go and work with them. Working together is much better. Together, Shinra and Avalanche, we can get rid of Sephiroth."

"...no. I won't let them go." Rufus said after a painful minute.

Lilie slowly shook her head, looking hurt. "Rufus, I can't believe how pigheaded you are being right now. You're being a fool." She then took her cloths and began pulling them on. Rufus didn't say anything as he watched her. As soon as she was dressed, she looked at him. "Think about it, Rufus. Think very hard about letting them go. Don't be your father." She said before she left the room. Rufus just stood there, looking pained but still said nothing.

* * *

Lilie walked down the hall, still deep in though. She couldn't believe that Rufus was being so stupid. She knew that she had to do something. She knew that she couldn't let him kill Avalanche. They were good people and they were trying to stop Sephiroth. But how to stop an execution without getting into trouble with her boyfriend? A lightbulb suddenly turned on in her head. 

Cait Sith.

She hurried down the hall to where Reeve's office was in Junon Harbor. She could hear something going on in there but she wasn't exactly sure what. Biting her lip, she quietly pushed the door open to see if Reeve was in the office and to see what he was doing. To her surprise, he was with Cait Sith and he was putting a disguise on them. Making them look like a newsreporter. It made her smile to see that Reeve was thinking the exact same thing she was. She shook her head as she stepped into the room and quietly closed the door. He still didn't notice until the cat waved at her.

"Hiya!"

Reeve jumped and turned around to see her. Lilie was smiling with her arms folded. "I"m glad that we're planning the same thing, Reeve. This way we can work together." She said quietly. Reeve blew out a deep sigh of relief. "Damn it, Lilie. Why do you have to scare me all the time? Can't you just say hello like everyone else?"

Lilie shook her head. "No." She then walked forward, giving the cat a smile. "Hello, Cait Sith. How are you doing?" She asked gently as she scratched the cat behind the ears as if it were real. Cait Sith purred like a real cat and grinned up at her. "Thanks. I needed that." He said. Lilie gave Reeve an astonished look, who smiled. "I told you, he has a mind of his own. It's amazing what magic can do to some things." He said. Lilie nodded before she looked Cait Sith. "So, what do you have planned to stop the execution?"

Reeve frowned, raising his eyebrow at her. "Why do you want to help them? I thought you would have been with Rufus on this?"

"No." Lilie said with a sigh. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he just wouldn't listen to me. He wants to blame Avalanche for what's happening to the Planet. Thinks it will help his image." She said with a pulled face. Reeve gave her a sympathedic look. "He's going to be mad at you if he finds out that you're doing this." He warned.

"I don't care, Reeve. I love him so much. But I will not let him become his father. He is not going to kill these people just so that he can look good. He looks good enough to me, and that's all that matters. This is for the good of the Planet and for himself." Lilie said. Reeve nodded. "All right. The only thing I have planned is breaking Tifa and Barret out of getting executed, since their the first ones. But I don't know what I'll do about the others."

"Leave them to me then. I'll free them." Lilie said.

"Lilie, are you sure you want to do this? I've got to warn you about a few them. Cid is quite the foul mouthed man and Yuffie is a professional thief. As for Red XIII and Vincent, I'm not exactly sure what they might do. They would recognize you if they see you." Reeve said.  
Lilie shook her head. "It's all right. I don't care if they recognize me. I've already made my peace with Vincent. So I know he wouldn't do anything to me. And he wouldn't let the others do anything either." She said. Reeve nodded. "All right. So we have our plan. We should probably go over it, just in case." he said. Lilie nodded and they sat down with Cait Sith and began plotting.

They weren't the only ones that were plotting something. After Lilie had left the room, Rufus sank down into a chair and let everything she had said roll around in his mind. He didn't want her to be angry with him. Not like this. And he surely couldn't just call off the execution at the last minute. A lot of people were going to watch Avalanche die. It would be bad for Shinra. But then he thought of something.  
A great escape. That would be perfect for a great show. It would defintely get attention. And the people couldn't blame Shinra if Avalanche did escape.  
Without a word, Rufus stood up and went over to his phone to make a call. It wasn't long after that, did a guard come into the room. Rufus was dressed in his white uniform that he usually wore and he was pacing the room. He glanced up at the guard when he entered. "Lock the door." He ordered.  
The guard seemed very confused but did what he was told and then walked over to the President, saluting him. Rufus just impatiently waved it off. "I have an important assignment for you for tomorrow's execution. I want you to help escort the prisoners, Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace to the execution room." He said, digging into his pocket.

The guard nodded him with a salute. "Yes, sir!"

"And once you have one of them in the gas chamber and you're about to leave, I want you drop this key where they can reach it." Rufus said holding up the key.

Another salute. "Yes, sir!...What!?!"

Rufus gave a low groan of frustration. How stupid can some of the guards be in this place? "You heard me. I want you to drop the key to their wrist locks, to free them. This is a top secret assignment and I don't want anyone to know about it. Especially Scarlett. God forbid her to know." He said holding out the key. The guard slowly stepped over and took the key, still looking confused. "And...this will kill them faster, sir?"

"No. It will give them the chance to escape." There were question marks dancing all around the guard's head and Rufus could see them. He gave the guard a strict look. "Just do it. And don't tell anyone about it. For if you do, I will shoot you myself." He said warningly.

The guard saluted him. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

"Good. You're dismissed. And remember. Not a word to anyone." Rufus warned. The guard saluted him again and then left the room. The President sighed with frustration before he turned towards the window and looked up at the flaming Meteor. "God, Lilie. I hope you're right about Avalanche. Because that was too damn hard." He grumbled. For some reason, he could almost hear her already laughing at that excuse.

* * *

The morning came almost too soon and Lilie was already up and getting ready for a big fight. It was no doubt that she might get into one with some of the guards if they caught her letting Avalanche go. She made sure that she had her materia ready and her Psis were sharpened and cleaned. They were shiny like a mirror. She made sure that there wasn't any fingerprints on them whatsoever.  
Lilie was on her way to see Rufus, when she stopped to see Reeve coming out of his office. He smiled faintly at her and they decided to walk together. "Is everything going to plan? Is he ready?" She whispered to him. Reeve nodded as he fixed his black tie. "It's going well. I heard that Tifa woke up not too long ago and Barret is explaining to her what's happening. I heard Rufus went straight there this morning to tell them about the execution." he sighed shaking his head. 

"Damn him. So he's not going to call it off." Lilie said with a sigh. "I can't believe he's being so stubborn. I just hope he won't get mad when and if he finds out what I'm doing."

Reeve nodded. "No kidding. If he found out that I'm letting Cait Sith go to the execution just to stop it, I might just get fired."

Lilie smirked. "Don't worry. You won't get fired." She then nodded towards the jail cells. "It's almost time. I better go." She said. Reeve nodded. "All right. I'll go make sure everything's set. Cait Sith's already at the execution room, pretending to be a reporter." He said. Lilie nodded. "Good luck, Reeve."

"Yeah. You too." And they seperated.

Lilie was just about to enter the prison block when she heard someone call her name. She turned around to see Rufus walking towards her. She had to hold her breath from the interuption.  
"Lilie, I want to apoligize for what I said to you last night. You're right. I was being pigheaded. And I was acting like my father. But I won't do it. I won't become my father." Rufus told her with a soft smile. Lilie just frowned at him. "But you still haven't called it off."

Rufus only smiled at her as he brought her into his arms. "Just trust me. I have it already planned."

Lilie couldn't help but smile slyly at him, her eyes squinting a little. "What did you do, Rufus?" She asked. Rufus grinned down at her. "Let's just say, someone is going to forget the key in the gas room, giving them an excellent chance in escaping." He whispered to her. Lilie couldn't help but laugh this time. "You stubborn ass." She hissed at him before she kissed him. They kissed rather passionately before she pulled away to reveal what her plan was when suddenly there was a loud explosion and the entire base started shaking.  
Both Lilie and Rufus pulled away looking very alarmed as they looked around. "What was that?!" She gasped. There was another crash and the base shook again, almost making them fall.

"President Rufus!" The two turned around sharply to see Heidigger running towards them. He looked scared about something. "Mr. President!" He gasped hurrying over. "Weapon is attacking Junon!"

Rufus and Lilie quickly looked at one another with alarm before they pulled away from one another and looked straight at Heidigger. "Are you sure?!" The President asked sharply. The fat man with the horse like laugh nodded. "Yes, sir! There are reports coming in of it coming towards Junon!"  
Rufus growled before he looked at Lilie. "Lilie, free them! Right now! I have to take care of this problem!" He said. Lilie nodded before she pulled him into a kiss before pulling away again. "Tough titty said the rough kitty." She whispered to him. Rufus only smiled at her and nodded. Then they turned from one another and ran in different directions.

Lilie ran as fast as she could into the prison block where there were some confused looking guards. She gritted her teeth and pointed towards the doors. "Weapon is attacking! Head up to the artilliry rooms and prepare for battle!" She barked at them. The guards all nodded and ran out.  
Lilie smiled triumptedly. "Too easy!"  
She hurried over to a bulletin of keycards and grabbed all of the cards to the Avalanche's cells. She rushed down the corridor, pausing in front of the first one. The room to Yuffie's room. She quickly slid the keycard in and unlocked the door.

"What the?!" She heard Yuffie exclaim but she didn't stop to listen to her.

She just turned to the next room, Red XIII's, and unlocked that one. Then she turned to Cid Highwind's room and unlocked that one. And for the last one, where she could see Vincent looking out the window, she unlocked it. "Lilie! What's going on?!" He asked as he pushed the door open. The other doors slid open as well and they joined them. Lilie shook her head. "Weapon is attacking Junon! If you guys are going to get out of here, now's your chance!" She said as she lead them down the corridor.

"Hey, aren't you that salesgirl from Nibelhiem?!" Yuffie asked as she ran after the Turk. Lilie only nodded as she grabbed the weapons off the counter behind the security desk and tossed them to their owners. "Yeah. I don't have time to explain right now! I have to go back up to the command center and help Rufus fight this thing!"

Cid growled under his breath. "You're with that asshole!"

Lilie gave him a look but shook her head. "Yes! I am with him! But like I said, I don't have time to explain! Now go!" She yelled at him. Vincent nodded for them run, which they immediately did. "What about Tifa and Barret?! We can't leave them!" Red XIII said as he paused in the door way. Lilie saw the questionable look on Vincent's face and she shook her head. "Don't worry. They're going to be all right. They'll join you as soon as they can. Cait Sith is helping them right now. Take the Highwind! She's yours!" She said. She saw a grin appear on Cid's face before he raced out. Vincent only smiled at Lilie. "Thank you, Lilie." He said quietly. Lilie only nodded back to him before she ran out of the prison block, going the opposite direction from the Avalanche members.

Lilie was running as fast as she could, trying to hurry to the command center where Rufus was. She wanted to be there with him, no matter what would happen. If Weapon would destroy Junon Harbor with them in it, she wanted to be with him when it happened. But then again, she might just make him go somewhere safer.

Suddenly, while turning a corner of one of the halls, she ran smack dab right into someone much taller and bigger than her, sending her screaming back onto her rear end. The man she ran into staggered back but managed to catch himself.

"What the friggen hell!!"

Lilie groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head before she looked up at who she had run into. To her great surprise, it was Barret and Cait Sith. The cat looked startled to see her as she did to see him. "Lilie! Are you all right?!" He gasped as he quickly hopped over to her and then gave her the mog's big arm to pick herself up.

"Ow! That hurt!" She groaned as she stood up with the Mog's help. She then glanced at Barret, whose face was now darker.

"Aren't you that salesgirl from Nibelhiem?" He growled.

Lilie and the cat looked worriedly at each other. Their faces reading the very same thing. 'Uh-oh.' The Turk then stepped back wincing a little. "Look, yes I am that girl. But we don't have time to explain. I have to go..."

"If you know the spy then you work for Shinra too! And isn't what Turks wear?!" Barret growled as he aimed his gun arm in her direction. Lilie gasped and stepped back while Cait Sith quickly jumped in the way. "Barret! No! You can't shoot her! Yes, she's a Turk, all right?! But she's trying to help you. It was her idea trying to save you from the execution!" He cried out.

"Yeah right! That's what you all Shinra peple say!" Barret growled, looking ready to fire.

Lilie frowned dangerously at him. "You shoot me, Barret Wallace, and you will be in trouble. Rufus would kill you if you hurt me." She warned. Barret paused in shooting as he gave her a questioning look. But Cait Sith shook his head, looking very worried. "She's Rufus's girlfrield, Barret. You kill her, it will only piss him off and he will hunt you down. Please, just don't shoot her. We have to hurry or Tifa's going to die!" He almost begged. Barret then lowered his arm with a loud curse. "Dammit, cat! Fine! I won't kill her but she's comin' with us!" he growled before he reached forward and seized Lilie's arm, yanking her towards him.

"What?!" Both Cait Sith and Lilie exclaimed before the Turk screamed as she was yanked right onto Barret's shoulder. "LET GO OF ME!! PUT ME DOWN!!"

Cait Sith shook his paws in the air. "Barret! No! That will only cause trouble for us!" He yelled.

Barret was having quite the time of trying to get Lilie to stop kicking and screaming on his shoulder. She was now pounding on his back trying to make him put her down. "Shuddap, cat! Let's go!" He barked.

"I'm not going with you! Put me down! Put me down I say!" Lilie screamed.

Barret roughly rearranged her on his shoulder, bouncing her to make her think he was going to drop her. "Shuddap or I'll make this worst for ya!" He snapped now rushing down the hall. Cait Sith pulled a face as he quickly hopped after him. "Lilie, please just listen to him! I don't want to see you get hurt! Barret can be a little rough sometimes!"

"CAIT SITH! I JUST GOT BACK WITH RUFUS!! AND NOW I'M GETTING TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM! I **AM NOT** COMING WITH YOU GUYS! I HAVE TO BE WITH HIM WHEN WEAPON ATTACKS!!" Lilie screamed at the top of her lungs.

Cait Sith winced at her high pitched voice and Barret nearly did drop her as he jerked his head away from her. "Dammit! She sure has lungs!" He growled before he decided to really did drop her and pointed his hand at her. Lilie gasped as soon as she hit the floor and winced heavily when she realized that he was pointing at her. It was at that very second she felt Sleep fall over her and slumped to the ground, out cold before she was even on the ground.

When she reawoken, only two minutes later, she found herself looking down at the ground while Barret was trying to climb up the ladder to the Highwind. She could also see Cait Sith shaking his head, looking pained. He knew that there was going to be trouble when Rufus found out about this. Lilie could also see a very surprised Yuffie staring up at her. It was at that very second did Lilie decide to resume her screaming fit. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, startling Barret but he growled and kept on climbing up the ladder.

"You freak! Let me go, damn it!" Lilie screamed at him as she pounded on his back.

Barret ignored her until he was at the top of the ladder. Then he threw her onto the deck. Lilie hit the deck hard, making her cry out in pain as her elbow landed hard under her body. Barret just climbed over the railing before grabbing her arm again and pulling her to her feet. Again, Lilie began to jerk in his grip trying to get free.  
"Barret! What do you think you are doing?!" Red XIII exclaimed as he stood up on all four legs. His eyes were wide and his hackles were raised.  
"Oh shut up, Red! This is Shinra's girlfriend! She's our ticket out of here! If Tifa gets caught by them, we're going to use her to get Tifa back!" He growled trying to pull Lilie towards the door into the airship. She was now scratching at his hand and kicking at him to get free. "LET ME GO, WALLACE!!" She screamed at him. Barret ignored her as he pulled her down the stairs and dragged her over to the Chocobo room.

"What the hell!! Barret, are you crazy?! What the fuck are you doing?!" Lilie heard Cid's voice bellow out.

"WILL EVERYONE STOP ASKING ME WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING AND HELP ME LOCK SHINRA'S GIRL UP!! SHE'S FRIGGEN HARD TO HANDLE!!" Barret roared.

Cid winced before he hurried forward and grabbed Lilie's other arm. Her screaming and yelling brought a lot more people into the main hall to see what was going on. "YUFFIE! OPEN THAT DAMNED FRIGGEN DOOR!!" The big black man exclaimed.

Yuffie also winced before she hurried forward and opened the chocobo room's door. Lilie was now kicking Cid's leg to make him let her go. "Damn it! Stop kicking me!!" He exclaimed.  
Lilie ignored him and kept on at it. That is until she was thrown into the room onto a pile of hay. She quickly stood and started for the door but before she could even reach it, the door slammed in her face. "NO!" She screamed at it and began pounding on it hard with her fists. "Damn you all! Let me go!" She screamed with rage. She hit the door as hard as she could, hoping that it would either break or that everyone would get tired of her screaming and pounding at it and decided that she was not worth this trouble and let her go.

However, no one was listening. She could hear someone yelling on the otherside but it didn't sound like they were going to let her go.

After a long while of screaming and yelling at the door, Lilie hit it one last time, hurting her hand a little from pounding on the metal. She cried out in pain before she turned and sank down to the ground, tears running down her cheeks. "So this is the thanks I get for trying to help you!" She screamed one last time before she buried her face into her arms.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews, guys. In this chapter, a truce is made and a new partnership begins. Just a warning now, Lilie does over react a little, so don't get mad at her, okay? Especially to those Cid fans. hehehe...gulp. Read and review.**

**Chapter 17:**

"WHAT!?!" Rufus yelled at the top of his lungs. He was never so angry in his life, other than the time he found out what his old man had tried to do to Lilie.

It was only an hour later after they destroyed Weapon and Avalanche had escaped when Reeve finally decided to confront Rufus about Lilie. He knew that he had better do it before one of the other guards did. After all, who could have missed Lilie's screaming fits in the halls when she was kidnapped. And now, Rufus was having his own screaming and yelling fit. As soon as Reeve had revealed what happened to Lilie, he began to trash the office he was in. He threw papers every where, broke the wooden desk with his foot before slamming his fist through the window, breaking the glass and cutting his hand.

Reeve, along with the other people winced heavily at what he had just done to himself. "Rufus! It's okay! She's not hurt! Besides, what can be done now?! They are in the air, miles away from here now! Where is she suppose to escape to?! She can't possibly jump from the airship! That would definitely kill her!" He said as loud as he could as Rufus continued to trash the office.

"This is so ridiculous!" Rufus yelled. "She tried to protect them and look what they did to her! Damn it!"

Reeve winced under Rufus's rage before he shook his head. "Rufus! Get a hold of yourself before you hurt yourself any worst!" He yelled at his boss. Everyone just watched him with horror as Rufus turned his icy blue eyes onto him. "What?" He asked coldly. Reeve just shook his head. "Hurting yourself is not going to help Lilie's situation anymore. I give you my word that she will be all right. Vincent Valentine is her friend. He won't let them hurt her. And I swear to god that I will have Cait Sith protect her." He promised.

Rufus just glared at him. "Your word is not good enough, Reeve! I had lost her for a whole year and when I get her back in my arms, I lose her again because of those people! I told her that they couldn't be trusted but she didn't listen to me! She kept trying to protect them!"

Reeve just stared him right in the eye. "Rufus, my word is my bond. I promise that she won't get hurt. I will ask Vincent Valentine to protect if I must. He would. He knew her parents. He was her mother's friend when they were younger, so Lilie told me herself." He said, sounding very sincere.

There was a long silence as Rufus just glared at him. Everyone could see him trembling from the rage. They knew how angry he was. They had seen him angry before but this was even more intense than they ever seen.  
After a minute, Rufus stood up straighter, running his unbloodied hand through his hair. "You better make sure that they never hurt her, Reeve. Because if they do, I swear to god, I will kill you. And then I will blow them out of the sky if I have to." He said coldly. Reeve just nodded. He wasn't scared of Rufus. He knew how he was feeling right now. He knew that Lilie would be fine. They wouldn't hurt her. He just knew it.

* * *

It was for a long time before Lilie heard anything but the engines of the airship. She had curled up in a corner, keeping as quiet as she could, just waiting for someone to enter the room. She was praying that it would be Barret Wallace. She felt like stabbing him fifty times with her Psis after what he did. As for Cait Sith, she was never so angry with him in her life. She was really starting to wish that she never helped Reeve create him. She felt like smashing that cat into a million pieces and setting him aflame. 

Finally after almost an hour of sitting in that damp, smelly room, she heard shouting coming towards the room. Someone was angry, she could hear. It sounded like someone was yelling at another person. And they were coming closer to the room.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up quickly and hid by the door, preferrably behind it, waiting with her Psis in her hand. She didn't care who came through that door, but she was going to kill whoever it was. Hopefully it was Barret or Cait Sith.

The door slowly opened a crack and a white cloth slipped into the room, waving as if in peace. "Hello? We come in peace so don't start yelling and kicking me again." She heard Cid's voice. Of course, Lilie wasn't going to comply. She ground her teeth tightly and shoved the door as hard as she could to shut it on the pilot's arm. She heard the arm crack as it was shut between the door.

"HOLY SHIT!!! DAMN IT!!" Cid screamed with pain as he yanked his arm back out of the room. Lilie was going to throw the door open to start attacking but the door suddenly was thrown open and it knocked her back into the trough. She suddenly felt two pairs of arms grab her's and slam her to the ground. She felt someone tying her arms together and against a pole. It had been Vincent and Yuffie who tied her down. She immediately felt betrayed when she saw that it had been Vincent who knocked her back and tied her to pipe. She began kicking and screaming in rage. That is until he clapped his hand over her mouth giving her a stern look.

"Lilie, stop it." He ordered her, quietly.

Lilie gave him a hated look but he ignored her. He just kept his hand over her mouth, giving her a look to calm down. Lilie finally looked away from him and sat still. She figured that she had better do what she was told now that she was a captive. She turned her eyes onto the group still standing outside the room. She could see Tifa Lockhart holding Cid's arm, looking it over and curing it to mend the bones. She then gave Lilie a reproachful look, which Lilie returned. Then the Turk closed her eyes, squeezing the tears out of her eyes.

It was then she felt Vincent gently wiped them away as soon he uncovered her mouth. "Now, don't start screaming again. Keep your head." He said quietly. Lilie slowly nodded as she tried to sit up against the wall. All of the members of Avalanche were now looking at her, though Barret looked forlorn. Lilie then figured that it had been him that everyone was yelling at.

After a minute, Tifa walked over and bent down to her knees, now smiling at Lilie. It surprised the Turk to see how cheerful she was being after she had just attacked them. "Hi. I know you. You're that girl from Nibelhiem. Are you okay?"

Lilie just frowned at her before she slowly nodded. "Yes." she murmured. Tifa faintly smiled before she gently touched her arm. "It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. Just as long as you don't try and hurt us." She then pushed her long bangs out of her eyes. "What's your name?"

"It's Lilie Moy." Lilie said in a whisper.

"Lilie...hey, I remember that name. I remember Aeris said your name once." That made Lilie look at Tifa with curiousity but she only smiled. "Well, I'm Tifa Lockhart. But of course, you might know that since you're with Shinra."

Lilie sighed as she gave Tifa a reproachful look. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled to be here. If I'm your prisoner..."

Tifa shook her head as she turned a look onto Barret. "No. You're not our prisoner. Barret should have never taken you but he made a mistake. We're really sorry" She said. Lilie only glanced up at the big black man, who turned away before he was jabbed by Cid's elbow. "All right! All right! I'm sorry, dammit!" He growled. Everyone else just rolled their eyes or smiled. "Cait Sith said that you're Rufus' girlfriend. That right?" Tifa asked gently.

Lilie just frowned at the cat, who cringed a little. "Yes. I'm Rufus's girlfriend. So what? Are you going to use me to make him stop doing what he does? I'll warn you now I won't be used like that." She felt Vincent nudge her with his steel-toed boot but she ignored him.

And so did Tifa. "No. Of course not. We would never use anyone as leverage." She glanced at Barret again, who had finally disappeared out of view. "Look, Lilie. I can't make you trust us. I know for sure that if I were in your position I would wouldn't trust us but I swear on my honor that we won't hurt you."

"Then untie me. This rope is too tight that its digging into my wrists." Lilie said, wincing a little as she felt the rope dig into her. Tifa frowned before she looked at Vincent with a nod. The Ex-Turk nodded back as he bent down and grabbed the rope with his golden claw. He paused though. "Lilie, before we do let you loose, you won't attack us anymore, will you?" He asked quietly. Lilie just slowly nodded. "I really can't unless I have a death wish." She murmured. Vincent nodded before his golden claws dug into the rope, ripping it from the pipe. Lilie lowered her arms, rubbing her wrists as she sat up straighter. Tifa just continued to sit next her while the others stepped back, looking very alert. But Lilie didn't do anything.

"Vincent told me that you let us go. Why did you do that?" Tifa asked as she just sat there.

Lilie shook her head as she continued to massage her wrists. "Because I know you're just trying to protect the Planet from Sephiroth. He's my enemy too. I figured that the enemy of my enemy is..." She saw a smile on Tifa's smile.

"...Is your friend." Tifa finished for her.

Lilie nodded. "That's right. But now I'm starting to reconsider." She said roughly giving Cait Sith a look since Barret wasn't there to glare at. Tifa only smiled as she shook her head. "Don't be mad at Cait Sith, Lilie. He really gave Barret an earful after take off. So did everyone else." She said looking around the room at everyone else. "We don't kidnap people and use them for anything. That's not how Avalanche run. And don't be mad at Barret for too long. He was just scared for me. I was in that gas room and he was so afraid that I would die. He figured that if he could trade you for me if I ever was caught." Tifa gave a short laugh. "I was caught all right. But I took care of that wench, Scarlett, all right."

For the first time of being there, Lilie's eyes brightened and she smiled. "What did you do?" She asked almost too cheerfully.

That surprised the hell out every single one of the Avalanche members. "Wh-what?" Yuffie asked. Lilie gave her a look but was still smiling. "Oh, didn't I ask you clearly? What. Did. You. DO?" She asked slowly. Tifa just smiled back, almost laughing before she shook her head. "We got into a slapping contest before she tried to shoot me. I slapped her pretty good. Before I punched her for poking me with her gun."

Immediately Lilie laughed hysterically, leaning back against the wall. "Oh, hot damn! I wish I was there to see that!" She laughed. Everyone else just smiled, except Vincent of course.

"I take it that you don't like Scarlett that much." Red XIII finally said sitting down on his haunches.

It was Cait Sith's turn to laugh as he folded his arms. "Are you kidding?! They absolutely hate each other. I'm surprised that Lilie hasn't killed that broad yet." He said sarcastically. Lilie rolled her eyes before she looked around at the Avalanche members. "Okay. Now that we're on better terms, do you mind taking me back to Junon?"  
Smiles immediately faded and Tifa bit her lip, looking worried. "Well, we could but won't. You see, you know that we're enemies of Shinra. If they see us back in Junon, especially when we brought you with us, they will definitely kill us. And right now, we're trying to avoid that. So, we're actually headed to a place called Mideel. Just until the waters cool down a little." She said as she stood up, offering her hand to Lilie. Lilie paused before she took her hand and let her pull her to her feet. She had seen everyone else tense up but relax to see that she wasn't going to attack Tifa. "We would drop you off somewhere but we're already in the middle of the ocean and I highly doubt you want to swim back all the way." Tifa finished.

Lilie slowly nodded as she looked around. "Okay. Well...if I give my word as a Turk that I won't attack you, can I please be allowed to leave this room? Because it really stinks." She said, pulling a face.

Tifa laughed and nodded. "All right. Just don't try and attack us. Or you will be sorry." She said. She didn't mean it as a threat. She just telling her. Lilie only nodded. "Okay. I swear I won't attack any of you." She then rolled her eyes. "Though I'm really tempted into beating the living shit out of that Barret guy."

Cid grunted with his arms folded over his chest. "Heh, good friggen luck in trying." He said before he turned and walked away. Yuffie then groaned and followed after, clapping her hand over her mouth, sounding like she was going to throw up. Lilie just frowned before she looked at Tifa, Vincent and Red XIII who was still in the room. The martial artist then nodded to the others and they all started out of the room then she turned to Lilie. "Come on." She said. Lilie smiled and followed after her. This was her real chance of learning about the Avalanche members. She had always been curious about them from the very start.

"So, Lilie, you're a Turk and you're Rufus Shinra's girlfriend? How does that actually work?" Tifa asked as she walked with her towards the cockpit. Lilie only glanced at her but shrugged. "It really doesn't. But we don't care. We really love each other and we don't care what others think. Not really." She said. Tifa folded her arms with a wondering look on her face. "Wow. Rufus actually capable of loving someone. I never knew."

Lilie frowned at her but she shook her head. "Of course he's capable of love. Everyone is. I know he seems so cold and distant from people but that's because of his stupid father." She said with a dark look.

Tifa looked at her with surprise. "So you knew President Shinra, huh?"

The dark look on Lilie's face only grew darker and she folded her arms. "Oh, I knew him all right. That bastard tried to pull the moves on me once. That was what caused me and Rufus to seperate. He even had Scarlett kiss Rufus in front of me to make me think that he was a double timer." She sighed looking upset about that. "I thought he was and I left Shinra for a year. And then this whole thing started and we found each other again. Only to be ripped apart again."

Tifa gave her a sympathedic look. "I'm really sorry that we took you, Lilie." She decided to change the subject to a more cheerful subject. "So, what is he really like?"

Lilie smiled at her. "Who, Rufus? Oh, he's the most romantic man I've ever met. We've known each other almost our entire lives. At first, we really hated each other. We were big time rivals. We always got into fights and tried to beat the shit out of each other." Tifa laughed with her. "But then our relationship turned into friendship and then we just clicked. He wasn't always heartless as you might think. It's just, when his father tried to get me to sleep with him and we broke up, he was so hurt. He was so angry at his Old Man that it kind of reflected onto everyone else. He didn't mean to be so cruel to anyone, it's just he was in depression and the only way to let anyone know that he was miserable was doing what he was doing. He never liked to see people suffer. I swear to you that he didn't."

Tifa slowly nodded. "I understand. It's just a little hard to see that."

Lilie only smiled at her. "I know. He's kind of hard to read. He knows how to mask his true feelings. He did it for quite a few years before he finally had to tell me how he felt about me." She shook her head. "He's the one that actually got me into the Turks. All my life I wanted to be one. I've read so many stories about some of the Turks. That's how I know about Vincent, the books I've read and what my parents told me."

That seemed to interest Tifa quite a bit when she heard that. She faintly smiled, before glancing around for Vincent and then leaned in closer to Lilie. "What can you tell me about him?"

"What?" Lilie asked in confusion. Tifa bit her lip, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, I'm so confused about Vincent. Ever since we met him in Nibelhiem, he keeps to himself. None of us can figure him out and he doesn't like to talk too much. He's hardly ever told us about himself. Only that he used to be a Turk and he knew who Sephiroth's real mother was."

Lilie eyes snapped open wide. "What?" She asked in surprise.

Tifa looked taken back by that. "You...you don't know what Sephiroth's real past was like?"

"No. I never bothered in asking him who his parents were, or how he was raised. He only told me what he knew about being a great fighter and he even taught me some moves. He told me that I had great potential of a Turk. He was the only that actually believed in me when I was in Turk training." Lilie said.  
Tifa frowned before she took Lilie's hand and pulled her back towards the back rooms where everyone could rest. She pulled Lilie into a room and they sat down together. "Maybe we should talk a little more about each other and about what we know. Maybe that way, we can figure out together how to get rid of Sephiroth."

Lilie only nodded and she began to tell her the story of her life, the short version of course. Tifa listened in silence, frowning a little to hear what kind of person Sephiroth had been to Lilie. As soon as Lilie was done, she began to tell her story to her. She told her how she used to live in Nibelhiem until Sephiroth came and destroyed everything. She told her about how she went to Midgar to live and how she joined Avalanche. Lilie listened to every word, with questions in her mind but she never interuptted. She was greatly surprised to hear that the Sephiroth that had attacked her wasn't the real Sephiroth but a clone. She still didn't say anything though.

As soon as Tifa was finished telling her story, Lilie blew out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "So, Shinra...it was killing the Planet?" She asked in disbelief. Tifa only nodded. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but it was true. Even Aeris told us that."

Lilie still didn't say anything but then she looked at Tifa. "Where's Cloud anyway? I haven't seen him here yet." She saw a sad look on Tifa's face and she knew something terrible had happened. "He...he's gone. We don't know where he is. Something happened to him. Something terrible. When we went the Northern Cave, he started acting very strange, not that he wasn't already. He started talking about nonsense and when we fought the fake Sephiroth, it really got weird. Cloud, then gave the Black Materia to the real Sephiroth. But before that, he started saying something really weird. He was asking Professor Hojo for a number because he was a Sephiroth clone too." Tears filled Tifa's eyes. "But I know that he wasn't a clone! How would he have known about our promise when we were children? And how would he have known..." She sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

Lilie watched her with a sad frown. She knew how she felt. What Tifa was feeling for Cloud was what she felt for Rufus. She then reached over and took Tifa's hand. "We have to find out where he went then. He can't be gone for good."

"But what if he is?" Tifa asked with worry.

The red haired Turk bit her lip before a lightbulb turned on her head. "You said that Cloud had fallen into the Lifestream as soon as he gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth, right?" She earned a nod. "I remember something my father once said. He had been studying the story of the Lifestream while he was working with Hojo and he heard one time that the Lifestream flows within the Planet and sometimes it gushes out of underwater vents. He must be in the ocean somewhere." Lilie said. Tifa still looked worried. "If that's true, then he could be at the bottom of the ocean."

"No. That's not quite true. All of the vents that my father found were in shallow water, where the ocean is shallowest and near land. He could be alive and on a beach somewhere. All we have to do is fly on the coast and keep an eye out for any sign of Cloud."

Tifa faintly smiled. "That sounds like a plan. We can start in Mideel first then. It's pretty close to the North Cave." She said. Lilie smiled back. "That's definitely an idea." She then bit her lip. "You know what? I have a feeling that we're going to have a nice relationship. I've alway wanted to fight alongside Vincent Valentine when I was younger. This is my chance. Even though he's not a Turk anymore." She said. Tifa only smiled before she held out her hand to Lilie. "Well then, Lilie Moy, welcome aboard." Lilie smiled as she took Tifa's hand and they shook hands.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**A/N: All righty, time for the next chapter. But before I do, a quick shout out. **

**FaeTiam: This is actually the chapter before too. But no, Tseng wasn't actually dead, but really weak in the hospital. Lilie only thinks he's dying. He lost a lot of blood that day, though. And yeah, I hear ya. You have to feel really bad for Rufus, but he'll get over it. **

**Anyway, read and review, please.**

**Chapter 18:**

When the others learned of their new alliance with the Turk, some of them didn't know what to think. Barret was still grumbling about how he didn't trust Lilie, but the others seemed to think it was a good idea. Especially when she was Rufus Shinra's girlfriend. Cid, who seemed to have already forgotten that she just busted his arm earlier, even hinted that it might be the only chance to making peace with Shinra and try to make them see what they had been doing before was wrong. Eventually, everyone else began to agree. Vincent, silently of course, agreed with the idea. Cait Sith was grinning like crazy though to learn that Lilie was joining them for a while. Lilie just shrugged and told them that she would see what she could do in trying to get Rufus to listen to them without getting violent.

The airship finally landed on the island Mideel and they began making plans on going into the town to see what they could find out. Tifa eventually decided to take Lilie, Barret, Vincent and Yuffie with her into the town while the others made checks with the Highwind, just to make sure that it was in real shape. Of course, Barret grumbled about Lilie going with. He still didn't trust her. But no one paid attention to him.

The island town was quite the nice little place, Lilie figured. The people were sure friendly. Everyone else decided to split up to talk to the people. Lilie went up to the medical center to see if she could find out anything about Cloud. As soon as she stepped inside, she looked around at the small building before looking at the doctor.  
"Excuse me. Maybe you can help me." She said politely.  
The doctor turned around and smiled. "Yes, miss. Are you in need of medical attention?"

"No. I'm fine. It's just..." Lilie paused when she heard something in the next room. Almost like moaning. Curious as always, she glanced to the side only to gasp sharply. She recognized him quickly. "Cloud?!" She gasped, hurrying over to the blonde sitting in the wheelchair. The doctor and the nurse followed, looking quite interested. "Do you know this young man, miss?"

Lilie just stared at Cloud with surprise before she nodded. "Yeah. From a distance. What's happened to him? Why..."

Suddenly the door shot open and Tifa hurried in. "Excuse me! But I heard that a friend of mine..."

"Tifa! In here!" Lilie called.

Tifa rushed into the room, gasping just like she had done and rushed over to Cloud. "Cloud!" She cried happily. Lilie moved out of the way so that Tifa could bend down right in front of her friend. "Cloud! I'm so glad you're safe!" She said happily.  
Cloud however, didn't seem to hear her. Instead, his head was bobbing up and down, looking confused. Tifa immediately looked alarmed to see him in such in a state. "Cl-Cloud...?" She whispered, her voice wavering. Lilie watched Tifa's face twist from happiness to extreme worry. She was also worried about the blonde, though she hadn't known him for very long.

"Wh...what's wrong...Cloud?" Tifa whimpered. Cloud only moaned. Lilie turned to the doctor, giving him a worried look. "What happened to him? What's wrong?" She asked. The doctor shook his head with a sigh. "Mako poisoning...quite an advanced case..." He shook his head again, folding his arms. "It appears this young man's been exposed to a high level of Mako energy for a protracted period of time." He paused, looking at Cloud with sympathy. "He probably has no idea who or where he is now...poor fellow, his voice doesn't even work. He's literatlly miles away from us. Some place far away where no one's ever been...all alone."

Tifa gave a choked sob as she took Cloud's hands. Tears filling her eyes. Lilie sighed sadly, as she watched her new friend. "Tifa..." She whispered.

"That's bad..."

She turned to see Barret with the others standng in the next room. They all looked sorrowful to see Cloud in such a way. The doctor then cleared his throat. "Ahem. It's starting to get crowded in here. Let us excuse ourselves." He turned to the others, who all began to make their way out. Lilie paused to look at Tifa and Cloud. She sighed. "I'm sorry...Tifa...Cloud..." she whispered before she left with the others.

They all stood outside the clinic, talking in silence about what was happening. Lilie stood off, looking towards the trees. She was frantically searching her brain for an answer to help Cloud. She did remember once that a scientist had accidently injected himself with Mako. She had been there when he stabbed himself with it and started screaming at the top of his lungs from the pain. She tried to remember what happened after that. And then she did remember. She turned sharply around and looked at the doctor who was talking to Barret about Cloud's case.

"Wait! Can't you just flush the Mako out of his system?!"

Everyone looked at her with confusion. "I'm sorry?" The doctor said. Lilie hurried over. "I know it's risky but we can flush the Mako out of Cloud's blood system." She said. She saw the Avalanche members's eyes lit up and they looked at the doctor with hopeful looks.  
The doctor just shook his head. "Miss, we don't have that kind of instruments. Besides, it wouldn't help the young man's state anymore. Sure, he would be rid of the Mako but he would still be mentally unstable." He sighed. "As I just said there is so much Mako in his brain and it already burned his mind terribly. He will only be insane. The only thing you can give him is hope."

Lilie lowered her head in disappointment but glanced at Vincent when he put his hand on her shoulder. "...you tried, Lilie. The doctor is right."

Just then the door opened and Tifa stepped out of the clinic, her eyes a little puffy from crying. Everyone just stood straighter and waited for her to say something. "You okay?" Barret asked. Tifa sighed and nodded. "Yes...I'm sorry I had you all worried." She said, walking towards them. Lilie only nodded. "It's all right, Tifa." She said gently. Tifa frowned. "I have something I want to tell you all..." She turned and went back inside. Everyone just followed her back inside.

They all looked at Cloud as his head bobbed up and down. Tifa was quiet for a very long time before she shook her head. "I don't care about anything else, only Cloud..." She paused as she turned back towards them. "I...want to be by his side..."

Everyone didn't say anything at first but then they all nodded. "Yeah, that's probably best...For Cloud...an' for you..." Barret murmured. Lilie nodded in agreement. "I agree..." She said softly. Tifa just lowered her head looking sad. "I'm sorry, everyone...At a time like this..." She finally looked up while the others shook their heads. "It's fine, Tifa. We understand." Yuffie piped up. Lilie nodded. "I would understand better than anyone else...I would do the same if it were Rufus..." She didn't even look at the others when said that but she was sure that they pretended not to hear her. "You take care now, Tifa. And take care of Cloud." Barret said.

Tifa nodded but then frowned as she looked at Lilie. "Um...I know what you guys might say...but I..." She paused. "I want Lilie to take my place for a while. Just for a while."

Everyone just glanced over at Lilie, while Barret jumped a little. "What?!" He exclaimed.

Tifa shook her head. "Barret, just hear me out." She said a little loudly. When Barret didn't interupt, she nodded. "Lilie is different from what you think. She's not like the other Turks and she can help. I want you to trust her as if she was me. She's not going to spy on us like Cait Sith did. She wants to fight alongside Vincent."  
Lilie felt her cheeks flush hot red when everyone glanced at her. She couldn't bring herself to look up in Vincent's eyes but she finally did when Tifa started to speak again. Vincent wasn't even looking at her. He was still watching Cloud.  
"Just please take her with you...and trust her." Tifa said with a sigh.

No one spoke but then Vincent flipped his red cloak back as he turned away. "...I have no problem with it..." He said quietly. Yuffie then bounced up and down. "Yeah! She seems pretty cool. Turk or not." She said. Barret was the only one that didn't say anything. Until Tifa stepped forward and gently took his left hand, giving it a squeeze. "Please, Barret..."

The tough gunarmed man growled. "All right! She can come with us! But as long as she stays away from me!" He turned and stormed out. Everyone just smiled and shook their heads, except Vincent of course. Lilie looked at Tifa. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked. Tifa turned away from her and bent back down in front of Cloud. She was quiet for a very long time before she nodded. "I'll be fine...as long as I'm with him..."

Lilie smiled as she heard the others starting to leave. She didn't follow just yet. Instead she bent down next to Tifa, making her glance over at her. The Turk didn't look at her. She just looked into Cloud's deep blue eyes, which were definitely unfocused. With a frown, Lilie tilted her head.  
Cloud surely looked like the young man she had once met a long time ago. He hadn't changed that much, yet he was older and more handsome than Lilie remembered. But there was something about him. It wasn't just that he lost his mind. She knew that he was still inside his mind somewhere.  
"Cloud Strife..." She whispered. "...nice to meet you, Cloud. Don't get too intimidated by Sephiroth's seriousness..." She could see Tifa was looking a little confused but she shook her head. "But deep inside he's actually really soft and fluffy." She whispered. She finally smiled. "Cloud...third class guard...you've come a long way, you know that?" She asked before she looked at Tifa. "Take care of yourself, Tifa. And don't worry about Cloud...I know he'll be all right."

Tifa slowly smiled a faint smile. "Thanks, Lilie. Take care of yourself too. And take care of the others." She said. Lilie nodded, giving Tifa's hand a light squeeze before she turned and walked after the others.

* * *

Once aboard the Highwind again, everyone was standing around, in silence. Lilie could see Cid sprawled on the floor, sleeping no doubt. She was standing off by herself, looking down at the island as they started to fly away. She really hoped that Tifa would be all right. But deep inside, she knew that she would.  
"What're we gonna do now? What can WE do?" Barret asked in a growl. "Huh? Ain't there nothin' we can do? An' don' go tellin' us to wait for Cloud to get better." 

Everyone just looked at him. Lilie didn't though. She was just staring out the window. "Oh, I've got some news." Cait Sith spoke up. Finally she turned back. Barret was growling. "Yeah, what?! That you a spy?!" He then shot Lilie a look. "That she's a Turk?!"

Lilie glared right back at him but didn't say anything. Cait Sith only shook his head as he hopped over to Barret. "Yeah...I've already told you that I was." But then he turned away. "Both Gya ha ha and Kya ha ha are up to something. Wanna eaves drop?" He asked. Lilie smirked at the nickname Cait Sith gave Scarlett. That was how Reeve always called the red wearing bitch. They listened hard and to Lilie's surprise, she heard Rufus's voice. That made her attention perk up but she didnt' say anything because everyone gave her a look as if they expected her to.

_"Now then...We're faced with two issues...1. Destroy Meteor." _Rufus's voice paused. _"...2. Remove the barrier around North Cave and defeat Sephiroth." _He went quiet for a second. _"Any ideas?" _He didn't sound too happy. It was probably the fact that Lilie wasn't there with him, which she knew that was it. But he sounded like he was doing a little better than she thought he would.

_"Gya haah hah hah! We already solved the first problem! Meteor will soon be smashed to bits! The plan has already been put in motion. Namely, to collect Huge Materia from each region."_ Heidigger's voice boomed. Lilie saw the others frown. It was like they weren't sure of what to make of it.

_"Well..." _Rufus spoke up.

_"Huge Materia is a high density special type of materia made through special compression process in Mako Reactors. The energy extracted from it is 330 times the strength of normal materia! Ha, ha, ha! How about that?!"_ Scarlett's screechy voice spoke up. Lilie only gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe that woman was in the presence of Rufus. But she couldn't do anything right now. _"We will gather all the Huge Materia together and ram it into Meteor. That will cause a huge explosion!! Reducing Meteor literally to bits." _

_"You're going to ram into Meteor?" _Rufus said sounding very skeptical. Lilie instantly knew that he was already doubting Scarlett's plan. She had to agree. The plan sounded extemely stupid. _"Do you think we have the technology to do it?" _Rufus sounded very sarcastic.

_"Don't worry about that! More importantly, we've got to collect Huge Materia from each area." _Scarlett sounded very annoyed.

_"We've already collected materia from Nibelheim. All that's left is Corel and Fort Condor. I've already dispatched troops to Corel. Ghaa haah hah hah!" _The transmission went blank after that.

Immediately Barret slammed his foot down. "Corel! What else can they do to Corel?!" He demanded. Lilie just gave him a questioning look. She remembered Tifa had said something about Barret being from the small town but she had thought that it was completely destroyed. Red XIII shook his head. "And the Huge Materia...You mean the Huge materia don't you? I've heard about it. When our small Materia hears the larger one, something should happen. I'm certain of it. That's why we're using the power of the materia in out fight..." He spoke up. Barret igrnoed him though. "Can't let Shinra get a hold of the Huge Materia!" He ignored the look Lilie gave him. "Besides, when Cloud gets back, I wanna show him his Huge Materia. He's gonna be shocked."

Cait Sith hopped over towards him. "So, what are you saying, Barret? Even though you're always knocking him, you really want Cloud to return?"

Barret turned away for a minute before looking back at him. "I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout nothin'. You just...shut your face! Every group's gotta have a leader!" He then slammed his fist into his big chest. "An' that's me!"

Lilie rolled her eyes. "Oh brother." She muttered. She was pretty sure that Barret glared at her for that but he didn't seem to be angry. "Or at least I wanna be...but I ain't cut out to be no leader. I never knew that till lately." He mumbled. He then looked over at the slumbering Cid. "An' that's what is..."

It was at that second did Cid wake up. "...zzz...hmph?" He rubbed his eyes, standing up. "What? What's goin' on?" He grunted. Barret nodded towards him. "You been chosen to be the new leader."

Cid immediately grunted with disbelief. "Pain in the ass. Forget it."

Lilie almost laughed at the reaction. She never knew anyone that would turn down the position of being a leader.

"But for us to fight, we gotta have Highwind, and you." Barret argued. "We need it to save the Planet. An' who's runnin' this ship? You! That's why you're our new leader. Ain't no one else can." He said. Lilie immediately agreed. She knew that he had a point. Cid growled though. "HELL NO! I ain' going to be no friggen leader! Let the Turk be the leader!"

Lilie turned around sharply giving him a startled look but Barret stomped his foot. "NO WAY!! I AIN'T GOING TO FOLLOW SOME SHINRA!!" He roared. Cid turned and had a face off with the other older man. "Well I ain't going to no friggen leader!" He roared right back.

"Cid..." Lilie spoke up. The pilot looked over at her, with a raised eyebrow. "...Barret's right. I can't lead. I'm a follower, remember? I do what I'm ordered to do. I've never been a leader in my life. But you have. I've heard of you plenty of times. Especially when you were going to be the first man in space. You lead that team." She then shrugged. "Besides, no one really trusts me because I'm a Shinra employee. But they trust you. Right?" She asked looking around at the members of Avalanche. Slowly, everyone nodded, one by one. Cid began rubbing his chin. "Hm...so this ship's gonna save the Planet, huh? Ain't that gonna be a just a little tough?" He then rubbed his head. "Well...okay. I'll do it. Everyone, follow me!"

Everyone nodded. "We're behind you every step of the way, Cid." Red XIII said as he stood up. Cid nodded. "All right! Full speed ahead!" He then frowned. "What's our destination, anyhow?"

Everyone laughed, while Barret groaned. "Corel, Cid. That's our destination." Lilie told him with a gentle smile. Cid nodded. "Full speed ahead to Corel!"


	20. Chapter Ninteen

**Chapter 19:**

As the airship was making it's way towards Corel, Lilie found this the perfect opportunity to train a little away from the others. She went out to the wide open cargo area, where Yuffie usually was groaning with her motion sickness and began shadow boxing.  
She took off her Turk jacket and began punching and kicking at the shadows as if they were enemies. She was fighting a fierce battle within herself as well. She was imagining herself facing Sephiroth. What would happen if she ended up actually facing him? Could she really fight the man that had believed in her when she was training to be a Turk? And could she really help Avalanche steal the Huge Materia right out from Rufus's hands? That was going to be hard. But she just couldn't believe that Scarlett's plan would work. She knew that something would go wrong.

"Hey, Turk!" Lilie didn't stop in her shadowboxing when she heard Barret addressing her. She just continued to fight the shadows. "Hey! Are ya listenin'?!" The big man growled at her.

"What?!" She snapped as she immediately stopped a kick in mid air, looking at Barret, while holding her balance very well.

Barret glared at her but then shrugged it off. "Why'd ya agree with me when Cid tried to reject the election for leadership? Don' ya want to lead us into hell and chaos, killin' us for your dumb boyfriend?!"

Lilie lowered her leg, glaring at Barret for what he said about Rufus. She blew out a sharp breath as she laid her hands onto her hips. "For one, I agreed because I was telling the truth about me never being a leader. I've never lead a day in my life, besides bossing Rufus around when I was his bodyguard. And two, NO! I don't want to kill you guys! You helped me when the fake Sephiroth hurt me in Nibelheim. I'm with you guys because I think what you're doing is right. And three, don't you ever refer Rufus to my dumb boyfriend! He's not stupid as you think he is." She wiped her sweaty brow with her white sleeve. "He's just...he's just having a hard time right now."

"Why?! Because we took you?!" Barret growled into her face.

Lilie didn't flinch away from him as he thought she would have. "No. That's not it at all. He's just..."

"He's just what?!"

Lilie glared at Barret for yelling in her face. She could see that Vincent was now making his way over, probably coming to make Barret stop yelling at her. She could also see Yuffie, cringing a little, looking more nervous about a fight breaking out. But she frowned right at Barret, her face hardening. "You obviously don't know a thing about Rufus, do you?" She shook her head. "Well, let me enlighten you. He's struggling with himself, Barret Wallace. He's trying to fight off the memory of his father. He doesn't want to become him but it's hard because that's how he was raised. Do you know what his father used to do to him when he was a boy?"

There was a very long silence. Even Vincent had stopped to listen. The other Avalanche members were coming to listen. They must have heard Lilie and Barret snapping at one another.

"...Augustice Shinra used to beat his own son. Just because he refused to be just like him." Lilie told him.

That completely took Barret by surprise. He had stepped back away, his eyes widening. Even Cait Sith hopped back. Lilie knew that Reeve had not known that. No one had known. No one but her and Reno.

"That's right, Barret. Rufus was beaten as a child. He was hit, kicked, verbally abused, everything that should never happen to a kid. But he stayed strong. He never wavered even after his stupid Old Man bloodied his lip. He refused to break under that bastard." Lilie said, her voice cracking.  
"And I saw it happen once or twice. I wanted to stop that man from hurting him. No matter how much I hated him in the beginning. But I didn't because it was Rufus's fight. Not mine." She then shook her head. "After Rufus began to get older, Shinra couldn't do anything to hurt him because he knew that if he did, he would die. Rufus would turn around and hit him back. He was stronger, wiser, and much, much faster. Only once Old Man Shinra tried to hit him but Rufus caught his fist before it hit him. And he scared the living hell out of his own father by warning him if he ever laid another finger on him, he would cut out his heart and feed it to Dark Nation, his old panther. The one that Cloud killed."  
Another long silence before Lilie turned back away and began punching the air. She paused after one punch. "That's why Rufus hates his father."  
Another punch.  
"That's why he hates showing his emotions."  
Again, she punched the air.  
"And that's why he is so cold and heartless to everyone else other than me. Because they never understand him! I'm the only one that has seen him bleed or cry in his life!" She turned back to Barret, giving him her fiercest glare, which was enough to make him step back. "So don't you dare insult him in front of me agan. I made a promise to Tifa that I wouldn't fight with you, and I won't. But when the time comes that you need my help, I won't help you. So bug off!" She snapped before she gathered up her jacket and walked away from to another corner, much farther from Barret before she went back to punching and kicking the air.

There had been a long silence besides the rumbling of the engines and the angry huffs from Lilie as she pretended to attack her invisible enemies.

"...why are you going with us to Corel then? Why help us?"

She stopped a punch in midair when Barret asked his question. She felt an unsteady breath blow through her clenched teeth. She then straightened herself and looked at Barret. They just stared at one another before she snatched up her jacket again. "Tifa told me what happened to your hometown, Wallace. I know what you lost there. But the fact is, you're not the only who lost a loved one because of that damned Mako Reactor." She paused but hurried to finish what she was going to say when Barret opened his mouth to argue with her.  
"I was sixteen when I lost my parents in that explosion. I may have been a Turk by then, but I was still a kid. I had no one left. They died in the explosion from the Gongonga Mako Reactor. The one that your town was blamed for. I never blamed your people for what happened. I know for a fact that there was a leak in the reactor and that's what caused it. My boss, Tseng, spent hours on end trying to convince the President that it wasn't rebels from Corel. That it was a leak." Lilie sounded like she was in terrible pain now. "But I still lost my parents. I was an orphan. So go on. Think you're the only one who lost something. I don't care!" she bit that last sentence hard before she turned and stormed away from where the Avalanche were still standing.

Before she had gone into the rooms area, she heard Cid mutter, "Barret, I think you might have gone too far this time." But she heard no more after she went into the rooms, slamming the door hard that it echoed in the room. She couldn't stop the tears though. She tried, but couldn't stop them from coming. But she wasn't crying for just for her parents. She had promised her parents that she would never cry again for them.

Instead, she cried for Barret's family that he lost.

* * *

It was almost hours later when someone knocked on her door. Lilie didn't answer as she just looked out the window at the Corel mountains. She knew that they had arrived. She just sat in silence before the door cracked open and Barret's head popped in. He looked quite forelorn and he held up a hand when Lilie gave him a dark look before turning away.

"...m' sorry. I...I didn' know."

"Well now you know. Leave me alone now." Lilie said forcefully.

There was a pause before Barret pushed the door open wider, halfway coming in. "You comin' or what?" Lilie looked up, quite puzzled on what he meant. The big black man just nodded to the door. "We're in Corel now. You comin' with us to get the Huge Materia?"  
She was quiet for a minute, before her lips curved upward and she nodded. She grabbed her Psis and tied them back around her waist before she pulled on her Turk jacket. She then nodded to Barret to lead the way. He nodded back and they went out, meeting Cid on the way. "The others are staying aboard Highwind. We're going to the reactor to get the Materia."

Lilie glanced up at Barret then back at Cid. "What, just us three?"

Cid nodded as he folded his arms. "Yeah...Barret's idea..." He said. Lilie looked back at Barret, who wouldn't meet her eye but she smiled anway. She knew that Barret was starting to trust her. Even if she was a Turk. She nodded. "Well, then let's go."

The three of them entered the town, looking around. Lilie could see a few people giving them dark looks, though she was pretty sure they were aiming those looks towards Barret. She glanced up at him to see how ashamed he looked. She knew that the people of Corel were blaming him and for those those looks they were giving him, she returned them. They left the small wrecked town and made their way across the train bridges and right up through the canyon. They finally found the Mako Reactor. It was there, they found two guards standing in the entrance way. Lilie frowned as she walked ahead of Cid and Barret, who only glanced at one another before shrugging.

The guards aimed their weapons at them but she never flinched. "Halt! Who goes there?!" One barked.

Lilie rolled her eyes. "Look at what I'm wearing, numb nuts. I'm a Turk for Shinra Inc. Stand aside and let us into the reactor. We're here for the Huge Materia." She ordered, her hands on her waist. Both of the guards looked very hesitant but then they glared at the three. "You may be wearing a Turk's uniform but we know that you're really Avalanche! Shinra Inc's already getting the Huge Materia! Attack!" The other said and they jumped forward to fight them.

There was a flash of silver and Lilie had her Psis in her hand, while Cid yanked his spear free from his belt and Barret was aiming his gunarm. "You're making a mistake to be messing with us!" The young Turk snapped before she spun in a circle, almost a blur as she began slashing the first guard before slashing the other. The battle was over in five seconds.

Barret snorted. "Show off." He grumbled.

Lilie only smiled at him before she nodded to the reactor. "Well, let's get your materia."

Suddenly they heard the whistle of a train making all three freeze. They quickly turned around to look at the entrance of the reactor. "Uh-oh." Lilie said as she slid her Psis away.

"Da--mn!" Barret exclaimed before they had to hurry and jump off the train tracks as the train rumbled on by them.

"Looks like they're takin' off with the Huge Materia in that train!" Cid said pointing after the train. Barret began jumping up and down with rage. "NO! You damn boneheads!" He roared. Lilie clenched her teeth before shaking her head. "I can't believe that they beat us." She then blinked thinking about what she just said. "What the hell am I saying? I'm one of them." She muttered. Cid shook his head. "Hey, do you know who I am? I'm Cid-that's who the hell I am! Now just let me handle it!" He yelled before running into the reactor. Lilie and Barret only glanced at one another before they heard Cid start laughing his head off. "Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

The two hurried into the reactor and a second later, they came back out driving another train, with Cid driving it.

"How can they even drive this?!" Barret yelled as they began speeding down the tracks. Cid shook his head. "Don't ask me...I don't know!" He yelled back. Lilie gave him a startled look. "What?! You don't know how to drive a train?!" She gasped. Even Barret looked startled. "What?!"

Cid just waved at them before he grabbed the levers before him and started messing with them. "Don't worry! I can handle this kinda stuff!" He began muttering to himself before he flipped the levers. The train began going faster. "All right! Looks like we've got ten minutes before they reach Corel! So we're really going to fly!" He yelled and began flipping the levers as fast as he could go. Lilie almost stumbled at the sudden change in speed but then she grinned as she spotted the other train ahead. They were gaining up and fast.

Finally they were above the other train, going the same speed. "All right! We're gonna jump!" Cid yelled.

Lilie bit her lip nervously but she figured that the pilot knew what he was doing. She watched him step back to get more room before he ran forward and jumped to the other train. He landed onto of the last car. Barret nodded before he leaped over to the car after him, landing just perfectly. Lilie paused as she looked at the other train. Her heart must have been racing at the same speed the train was going. She looked at Cid and Barret who were watching her.

"Come on, Lil!" The pilot yelled to her.

Lilie took a deep breath before she threw herself away from the train to the next. It was unfortunate that the other train started to speed up. She gasped as she missed the last car, flying towards the back of the last car. She was going to miss it completely!

"Damnit!" She heard Cid exclaim.

Lilie closed her eyes, waiting for her death to come very quickly before she felt something slap her shoulder as she started to fall and then clutch onto her jacket. She gave a startled yelp as she went crashing into the back of the car, hitting the metal hard. With a painful wince, she reached up to whatever was holding onto her only to see Barret on one knee holding painfully tight to her shoulder and jacket. His teeth were tightly clenched as he bent a little lower, wrapping his gunarm around her and pulling her up. Lilie faintly smiled as soon as she was on the car safely. "Thanks, Barret." She said as she forced herself to stand.

Barret only waved the gratitude away as he helped her. "Thank me later, yo! Let's stop this tin can!" He yelled. Lilie nodded with determination.

The three began running on top of the cars as fast as they could go without flying back. It took a while to reach the train but they made it within five minutes. The guard driving the train spun around looking startled. "What the?! You...you guys!" He gasped.

"All right! Just hand over the Huge Materia!" Cid barked.

The guard shook his head as he aimed his weapon. "Sh...! Whooooa!" He exclaimed before Lilie jumped down and slammed her elbow into his gut. The guard went flying off the train, landing in the lake they were passing over. "You'll thank me some day for sparing your life!" She yelled before she looked up at Cid. "All right, Cid! Get your ass down here and stop this thing!" She yelled up at him.

Cid nodded as he jumped down into the cab and began looking over the controls. "!!!!! Oh boy! This is going to be more difficult than the last train!" He exclaimed. Barret was holding on tight of the car he was still sitting on. "JUST STOP IT ALREADY!! IT'S GOING TO CRASH INTO COREL!!"

"I KNOW, already! Just shut up and keep quiet! If we keep this up, we will crash into Corel!" Cid snapped back before trying a few of the levers. To the utter shock, the train picked up speed.

"Hey, it's not working!" Barret yelled with worry. Lilie was looking out the window. She could see the town further up the last train bridge coming up. "Hurry, Cid! We're gaining speed!" She screamed. Cid screamed in rage and fear/ $$!! The other way?! Just watch, this time, I'll..." He said moving the levers down. The train went faster. Barret roared with fear. "Hey...HEY!! HEY!!!!"

"CID!" Lilie screamed as she spotted the town further up the tracks. She squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for collision. There was no way that the train was going to stop in time. She knew it.  
She hadn't noticed, and neither had Barret and Cid, but when she closed her eyes, hoping for a miracle, the materia on her necklace began to shimmer, before glowing a pale blue color. Something was happening and not one of the three were noticing.

"SHI-------T!!" Cid yelled at the top of his lungs before he pulled the levers down hard, snapping them off. There was a sudden shrill alarm before they heard loud squeals of the train's tires. Immediately the train began stop. Lilie wasn't exactly braced for it so she slammed into the side, crying out in pain. Barret was definitely not ready for it so when the train stopped so suddenly he went flying off the train.  
"DAAAAMMMMM!!" He yelled before he flew into one of the tents of the town, which broke his fall. There was another loud hiss as the train stopped inches from Corel. Lilie was leaning against the metal of the train, her eyes extremely wide and she was breathing very fast. Then with a shaky breath, she looked out the window to where Barret was. "B-B-Barret! Are yo-you...ok-okay?!" She asked in a shaky voice. She saw Barret's arm raise from he pile of cloth. "Yeah! I'm peachy keen!" He roared before he fainted.

After everyone was settled down and Barret reawoken, the three were surrounded by happy faces. Cid was still trying to catch his breath after that close call and Lilie was trying her best to keep herself from having a heart attack.

"You sure are brave! I'm impressed!"

"You guys are really something!"

People were just cheering for the three, patting them on their backs and shaking Barret's hands. "I can't believe that you saved our town! It might be full of junk but this is the only home we got, Barret!" The one that had been glaring them in the beginng said. Barret only nodded. "Of...of course! We're all born and raised in the coal mines!! No matter how tough it gets, our hearts burn bright red like coal!" He said, still a little shakened from his unwanted flying lessons.

After awhile a little boy handed Lilie a small materia, as a reward for saving the town. "I got it out of the well. Isn't it an amazing rock!!" He said. Lilie smiled as she took it from him, patting him on the head. "Thank you for your gift." She said. The boy nodded before he turns and runs away. Lilie looked down at the orb in her hand, frowning a little. She could already feel the power pulsing through the materia. There was something about it, something very powerful. Something familiar.

Without a word, she slid it into an empty slot of her arm bracer and she instantly felt the power of the magic inside it. It made her gasp quietly when she realized what materia it was.

"Ultima..." She whispered.

"Hey, Lil. Ya all right?" Cid asked as he noticed the look on her face. Lilie only nodded as they began making their way out of Corel with the Huge Materia. "Ye-yeah. I'm fine." She then looked down at the ground, pondering over the materia she had now. She remembered this materia. It was very rare and she knew that it was a one of a kind. For now. It was the Materia her father used to carry.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter 20:**

The airship was on its way now to the next destination. Fort Condor. Lilie was being very quiet as she sat off to the side, watching clouds whiz by. She was thinking about everything that was happening now. She was worried about Rufus. She hoped that he wasn't doing something rash, as always. She knew he was probably very frantic right now. She only wished that there was some way of getting a message to him, to let him know that she was just fine.

Eventually, she closed her eyes, not really knowing that she fell asleep. She was dreaming about being back with Rufus, taking a walk along the beaches of Costa Del Sol, smiling and laughing with him. She was also see Reno and Rude, swimming in the water. They were having a water fight with Elena and Tseng. Even Avalanche were there, smiling and throwing water at one another. She almost laughed when she saw Vincent wearing bathing trunks and actually enjoying himself. She couldn't really see him doing that in real life.  
But then, it got very cold.  
Dark clouds were rolling over the sky, darkening every light. The cheerfullness in the air had vanished and she could feel fear and destruction. She was wearing her Turk uniform, jerking around in circles, trying to find the others, for they had vanished. "Rufus!" She cried out. "Tifa, Cloud!" She spun around and around in circles, trying to find them. She was in the darkness. She could hear screams and insane laughter. The laughter of Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth! Stop it!" She screamed. "Stop trying to destroy the Planet! Why are you doing this?!"

"Because I can!"

She gasped as she turned around and saw Sephiroth standing before her, swinging his blood stained Masamune. "Sephiroth! I thought we were friends!" She yelled towards him. A hated look appeard on Sephiroth's face. "How can I be friends with a pathedic human like you?!" he snarled. Lilie felt hurt. "But...but you saved my life from those men years ago. You promised."

"I did nothing of the sort." The insane silver haired man snarled before he waved his hand.

Instantly, her dream transformed back into the past where she was a little girl. Getting attacked in HoneyBee Inn. She was getting raped in her dream. And Sephiroth, nor Reno or Rude, or any of Reno's friends came. She was all alone. Until she saw a sudden flash of Meteor falling down towards her, smashing her into the ground.

Lilie gasped sharply as she jerked awake. It was quite dark all around her, and just by looking out the window, she knew that it was night. The airship was parked just outside the Fort Condor. And by the looks of it, the others had already gotten a hold of the Huge Materia, after all, the two large colorful stones were right in front of her. It was clear that Cid had decided that the Highwind needed a break from flying. And Lilie was sure that he was granting all of his crew a break from working the entire time.  
She could hear snores in the very room she was in and when she looked around she noticed that she wasn't the only one who fell asleep in the cockpit. Cid was leaning against the wall, near the helm, snoring quite loudly. But he seemed to be the only one that was alseep in the cockpit. The others must have gone to their rooms. That is until she heard someone walking towards her.

"Lilie?"

Lilie jumped a little when she heard someone whisper her name. She looked over to see glowing yellow eyes and it creeped her out a little until Red XIII came out of the darkness. She could see the glow of his fire tipped tail. She relaxed when she saw him completely.

"Lilie, are you okay?" Red XIII whispered as he moved over to her side. The young Turk breathed in deeply, before shaking her head. "Yeah. I'm all right. It was just a dream." She whispered right back. The lion creature sat down next to her, looking at her curiously. "Do you want to share your night stories?"

That made Lilie smile but she shook her head. "No. That's okay. It's all right." She said gently, before rubbing her stomache. "What time is it? Did I miss the next Huge Materia?" Though she already knew that she had. Red XIII nodded as he flicked his tail in the direction of the Huge Materia. "Yes. Cid, Yuffie and Vincent went to get them this time. There was another fight with Shinra, but they got the materia without seriously hurting someone."

Lilie slowly nodded as she leaned against the metal frame before looking out the window at the bright white full moon. She sighed deeply as she just stared at it.

"You miss him." Again, she looked at Red XIII. "Rufus Shinra."

Lilie nodded as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged herself. "Yes. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to him." She whispered. She shivered a little from two reasons. One, she was cold and the other because she was remembering her dream. Red XIII seemed to guess the first because he stood up and moved very closer her, nudging her to get behind her. Lilie frowned as she scooted forward to let him get behind her then to her surprise, the lion laid down, looking at her with bright eyes. She figured out what he was trying to do. With a smile, she laid back, her head on the lion's soft and warm side. "Thanks, Red."

"Call me Nanaki. It's my real name." The lion said closing his eyes.

Lilie smiled even more. "All right...Nanaki." And she closed her own eyes, curling a little closer to him before drifting off to sleep.

The morning came too quick for Lilie but she wasn't too bothered by it. She had been awoken by the rumbling of Highwind's engines and Cid was already ordering everyone around. Lilie groaned as she sat up, letting Red XIII get up and shake himself off. She just stretched before climbing to her own feet, cracking her back a little.

"Was that floor really comfortable enough for you to sleep on?" She heard Yuffie ask.

The Turk smiled over at the ninja girl and then shrugged. "Actually, surprisingly, yes. It wasn't that bad." She stretched again before looking around at everyone else. "So. Where to next?"

"We're going back to Mideel to check on Tifa and Cloud." Vincent said quietly.

Barret nodded as he went over to his spot, which was where Lilie had slept. It was more than likely he had been waiting for her to wake up so he could get his spot back. "That poor girl. She must be having a fit over him righ' 'bout now."

Lilie nodded before she looked over at Cait Sith, who switched himself on. She walked over to him, giving him a faint smile. "Morning, Cait. Can I ask you for a favor?"

The cat was stretching just like any cat would do before he stood up on his hind legs and nodded. "Sure thing, Lil. Whatcha need?"

"How's Rufus doing?" She asked very quietly.

The cat paused for a long time. It was more than likely he was asking himself that very same thing, though Lilie knew that Cait Sith was actually contacting Reeve to find out. After a minute, the cat sighed. "He's well and healthy but he's not good. He's been in a very pissy fit when he found about what's going on with the Huge Materia. I don't think that he knows that you're with us, taking them from him. He's just been cursing Avalanche."

Lilie smiled before she shook her head. "Well, here's the favor then. Tell him that I'm doing just fine, Avalanche has released me and hasn't hurt me and tell him that I am the one taking the Huge Materia."

Cait Sith frowned. "Lilie, are you sure you want me to tell him that? What if he doesn't believe me?"

"He'll believe you if you give him our little code." Lilie said with a growing smile.

The cat frowned, tilting his head. "And that code is?"

"Tough titty said the rough kitty." She laughed when she watched the cat's eyes snap wide open and he nearly fell of the large Mog.

* * *

The airship had finally arrived on Mideel and everyone was debating on what to do. They really wanted to go find out if Tifa and Cloud were okay but they were also very worried about what kind of state Tifa was in. Eventually Lilie told them all to stop worrying and to get straightened up. Everyone laughed after that. So they all went towards the Clinic, together.  
They found Tifa in the exact same spot where they had left her, kneeling in front of Cloud. She was looking very tired and hopeless. The doctor and the nurse looked just as tired and hopeless. "I'm sorry...but your friend's condition remains unchanged..." The doctor sighed. "You'll have to be patient and wait this out. These things take time. Just like fine wine, time is of the essence." he shook his head as if he didn't even believe his own words. Lilie wasn't really listening to him anymore. She went into the next room and looked down at Tifa, who was staring into Cloud's bobbing face.

"...it's no use..." The tired martial artist whispered. "I don't understand a thing, Cloud. What should I do...? What if you never recover for the rest of your life?" She lowered her head and closed her eyes.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble and the entire island started shaking. Tifa gasped as she fell back onto the ground, while the others looked around with shock. Lilie had caught herself onto one of the medical beds. "What the?!" She heard Barret exclaimed. But she wasn't looking at him. Instead she watched Cloud's head stop bobbing and he looked straight at her.

"...They're...They're...coming...!" He moaned loudly.

"What? Who's coming?!" Lilie asked as she held onto the medical bed. She heard the door slam open. "Damn. What the hell's goin' on?!" She heard Cid curse before he and the others raced out. With only a glance at Cloud and Tifa, Lilie hurried out after him.

They rushed outside and looked around. People were running around and screaming. And some kind of liquid was now pushing its way out of the ground. "What's this?! The Lifestream is gushing up from below the surface of the Earth!" Cid exclaimed with horror. Lilie jumped back as she watched a small stream of of the Lifestream squirted out from where her foot used to be. They all then heard some kind of moan. Almost like something inhuman was crying. "Damn, that's...?! This is bad!!" Cid again yelled out.

"Cid!" They all turned to see Tifa standing in the doorway. "What's wrong?!"

Cid shook his head. "No-nothin'!! You and Cloud get inside quick!" He yelled to her. Tifa looked hesitant. "But I..."

"Go inside, Tifa! We'll be all right!" Lilie called to her.

Tifa nodded. "Be careful!" She called before disappearing back inside the building. The group of Avalanche and the Turk turned around and ran into the town square looking around. "Okay! Here we go! Watch this!!" Cid yelled as he pulled out his spear.  
It was at that second something very big flew across the sky. They all looked up to see Weapon. "Damn! That friggen Weapon! Of all times to show up!!" Cid exclaimed angrily. Lilie gritted her teeth as she pulled out her Psis. She saw the others doing the same thing. "Let's get rid of it once and for all!" She yelled. Everyone nodded and stood ready to fight. "Okay! Come on, you fuck!!" Cid roared into the sky.  
"Yeah! You giant sack of scale guts!" Yuffie screeched. Red XIII roared his challenge to the Weapon. Both Barret and Vincent began firing their bullets at it while Lilie glared up at it in an icy way, the light reflecting off her blades. The Ultimate Weapon roared before it dove down at them.

It came way too fast that everyone had to scatter as it slammed into the ground where they had been. Immediately everyone began to attack the Weapon at once. Lilie ran up to the Weapon and began slashing it with her Psis as fast and hard as she could manage. The others were throwing attacks after attacks. The Weapon roared before swinging its giant tail at them, knocking everyone back. Lilie flew into tree with a painful cry. She gasped as the air had been knocked out of her lungs but she gritted her teeth and went back for more.  
All of the Avalanche members moved as fast as they could. Red XIII was leaping everywhere, biting and clawing at the Weapon's tough skin. Cid was stabbing his spear everywhere he could manage. Yuffie flung her Crystal Cross as hard as she could, slashing it as Lilie was doing the same. Cait Sith was pounding the monster with its strong arms while Barret and Vincent were taking shots after shots after shots.

Finally the Weapon roared with fury and took to the air. It gave them all a very nasty look as it flew upward. "Ha! Beat ya!" Yuffie said, gasping from exhaustion. Lilie was heaving for air as she stood a little slumped over. "You fucker! You tryin' to escape?" Cid laughed. The Weapon just gave its tail a sharp slice at the air before turning and flying away. Barret laughed heartily, still aiming his gunarm into the air. "Damn, man! Just a little bit more an' I wouldda smashed him..." he growled cheerfully. Lilie laughed as she slid her Psis away. "No joke there! We beat his ass black an' blue!" She said trying to mimic Barret's voice. The big black man only grinned down at her.

"It looks like the Lifestream has settled as well." Red XIII said looking around.

There was a long pause before the ground started shaking making everyone look around frantically. Lilie gasped as she slipped and fell onto her rear end. Vincent jerked around and rushed over to her side. "Lilie!" he said as bent down to one knee and placed his golden claw on her shoulder.

"Damn, you gotta be kiddin'...!!" Cid exclaimed.

The ground only shook harder making everyone stagger across the ground and Lilie tried her best to get to her feet. "Th, this's bad!! The main stream is kickin' up!! Somethin' way bigger than that last one is on its way up!!" Cid exclaimed. "Get outta here!!!"

Everyone started running towards the Highwind. "But what about Tifa and Cloud?!" Red XIII roared.

Lilie quickly jerked on her heel and started running for the clinic. "Just go! I'll get them!" She yelled.

"Lilie!" She heard Vincent yell after her.

"Goddammit!! You don't have time to worry about anyone other than yourself! You don't know when that stream'll blow!!!" Cid yelled after her. Lilie ignored them, pausing half way up to the clinic. "Just run! We'll be fine! GO!" She screamed to them. The others just nodded and began running as fast as they could out of the town.

"Tifa! Get out of there! It's going to blow!" Lilie screamed as she ran towards the clinic. She gasped as the ground under her started cracking. "Damn it!" She cried out.

A minute later, the doctor and the nurse ran out of the building soon followed by Tifa, pushing Cloud's wheelchair. "Come on! Let's get away from the town!" Lilie screamed as she turned and started to run with Tifa and Cloud.

Suddenly the ground under them really began to crack and the boiling green liquid began to push up like lava, blocking their path. Tifa and Lilie both screamed as they were forced to stop and brace theirselves as they began to slip and slid against the cobblestones. "NO!" Lilie screamed before she fell to the ground and began to roll. "CLOUD! LILIE!" Tifa screamed as she fell with the two.  
They were instantly swallowed up by the Lifestream they had fallen in. Lilie felt the searing pain of the liquid as it began to burn her. She tightly closed her eyes and clenched her mouth shut. 'I'm going to die! I'm never going to see Rufus again! This is so unfair! NO!' She screamed into her mind. And then darkness surrounded her.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Chapter 21:**

Darkness. That's all that was around Lilie as she slowly woke up, or so she thought. She was in the pit of a utterly and miserable darkness. She was so alone and she could hear haunting whispers were all around her and noises that scared her. She could also hear the wings of bats and their squeaks, as if she was in a cave. But the ground under her didn't feel like any cave. There was also a haunting melody drifting all around her and someone was humming the gloomy song.  
Lilie opened her eyes and looked around in the darkness. She couldn't see a thing, only herself. As if only her body was the light. She couldn't see the ground, or the sky, nothing but herself. She sat there on the dark ground, hugging herself. "He-hello! Someone, anyone! Can you hear me?!" She called. Her voice only echoed off the darkness. She felt tears sting her eyes as she she felt like she was going to die all alone. "P-please...someone...help me."

_"Lilie."_

Lilie jumped when she heard that voice. She gasped and looked around for the source but she still couldn't see anything. "Who's there?! Is someone there?! Help! I'm trapped!" She called. There was no answer and again she lowered her head, feeling her tear run along her jaw.

_"Lilie. It's okay."_

Lilie just sat there, looking helplessly around the darkness. "Who are you? Where are you?" She asked in a quiet tone. Suddenly, the darkness around her slowly started to turn into light. The suddenly light blinded Lilie a little and she ended up having to close her eyes. But when she reopened them, she gasped from where she was now.  
All around her was a vast field of flowers. Flowers of many colors, sizes, shapes and smells. There were so many that Lilie couldn't think of how many there were. They seemed to go on forever. The sky wasn't sky at all. It was just a brilliant, heavenly white light. Lilie slowly turned around from where she was sitting and tried to see if there were any people. There didn't seem to be. She slowly stood up and looked around before jumping when she suddenly saw someone standing before her. And it was actually who that person was that startled her the most.

"Aer-Aeris Gainsborough?"

The lovely brunnette standing before her smiled her angelic smile as she met Lilie's blue eyes with her emerald green ones. "Hello, Lilie. I'm so glad that you could come visit me." She said. Lilie slowly looked around before turning her eyes back onto Aeris. She looked her over. Aeris didn't look dead or hurt. How could she be alive?

"Wh-where are we?" She asked in a wavering voice.

Aeris only smiled as she stepped over the flowers, not stepping on one. She then looked around with a wonderful expression on her face. "This is the Promised Land. My own little haven. I asked the Lifestream to bring your spirit here."

Lilie's eyes widened with horror. She remembered what had happened. She had remembered falling into the burning blue green liquid, and the burning against her skin. "I'm...I'm not dead am I?" She asked weakly.

"Of course not." Aeris said softly giving her a reassuring smile. "You're still alive and you're well. Your body is surrounded with some kind of cacoon right now, protecting you from burning." She said gently.  
Lilie frowned at the thought. "A cacoon? What kind of cacoon? Like what Sephiroth is in?"  
Aeris gave a little nod. "Yes, I suppose you can say that. But it's much different from Sephiroth's. His cacoon is his own power, a cacoon made of Mako crystal. But yours," She reached over and gently took Lilie's hand, who looked down at her hand. She could feel Aeris's skin against her own. It was like she was alive. "Your cacoon is made of love. The love that you carry inside you, all around you, everything. The love of your parents are protecting you. So is the love of Rufus. And even Sephiroth's."

Lilie's eyes lit up with surprise but she shook her head. "But...but he hates me. He tried to kill me. Why would he love me?"

Aeris shook her head with a smile. "That wasn't Sephiroth, remember? That was the clone. I know that Sephiroth now is trying his best to destroying the Planet, but there's something different about you. Do you not remember the kiss he gave you?"  
As she spoke a ghostly image appeared in the light behind her. Lilie looked at the image only to freeze. It was the memory of talking to Sephiroth the last time. She could see her younger self standing before the tall, silver haired man. Sephiroth was smiling at her before he gently kissed her on the forehead.  
"Lilie, when he kissed you, he put a spell on you. A protective barrier surrounds you so that you will never be in such harm as long as Sephiroth lives. No matter what happens between you and him when the time comes." Aeris said gently. "That's why when the fake Sephiroth missed you when he slashed at you."

"He didn't miss. He cut my arm." Lilie complained.

The pink angel shook her head. "Yes, he did cut you. But he was aiming for your head. Think about it, Lilie. Something made you move in time just for him to slash your arm and not kill you. It was Sephiroth's spell. The clones don't know about the spell and neither does anyone but you and Sephiroth. And me and the Lifestream of course." She added with a giggle. "But still, Sephiroth loved you so much before he went mad. He cared about you because of the friendship you shared with him while you were so young."

Lilie just stared up at the image before it faded away. She looked back at Aeris, who was smiling. "Aeris, do you know why Sephiroth went crazy? Do you know his story? Who is his real mother and father?"  
Aeris gave her a sad smile. "I can't tell you that. It's not my place. But I do know. All I will tell you is that Sephiroth went crazy because he found out that he was an experiment even before he was born. He was born into a world that used him. He didn't think anyone ever cared about him. He even forgot about the love you had for him."

"Aeris...if I helped him remember that I cared about him, would that make him change back into the person he used to be? Can I stop him from destroying the Planet?" Lilie asked.

Aeris sighed as she gave her a sad smile. "No, Lilie. It won't stop Meteor from falling. It will fall. But don't worry. My plan is working. Try to reassure the others that when the time comes. You'll know when to tell them that." She looked up when she heard something that Lilie couldn't. She looked back into Lilie's eyes. "It's time for you to go back. Don't be afraid, Lilie."

"Aeris, please don't leave me in the darkness." Lilie begged as she noticed the darkness coming back. The darkness seemed to halt half way though. She was still in the light.

"Don't worry, Lilie. You won't be left alone in the darkness anymore. Just trust me." Aeris said before she pulled her hand out of Lilie's and stepped away. "Before you go, someone wants to talk to you. Two people in fact." She said before she turned around and walked away. Lilie watched Aeris walk several feet away from her before turning back around. She saw the faint smile on her face before she looked up. She looked up too, just to see what she was looking at. It was at that very second that two strange balls of light fluttered down, looking almost like blue fireflies. They flew right in front of Lilie and suddenly turned into two personages.

Lilie gasped as soon as she saw her parents, smiling at her. "Mom! Dad!" She gasped before throwing herself forward.

The two loving parents caught her into their arms, hugging her close to them. "Lilie." They both said at the same time. Lilie held them close before she pulled away with tears running down her cheeks. She smiled up at them. "Mom, dad, I missed you so much." She said, her voice cracking. Alec and Bella Moy only smiled as they glanced at one another before looking down at her. "We missed you too, Lilie. But you must understand, we've never left you once we died. We were always with you. We were with you every step away." Bella said softly as she gently pushed her red bangs out of her eyes. "We were with you even more when you were in the times of sadness and depression."

Alec nodded as she took his daughter's hand, holding it. "I told you that Rufus liked you." He teased.

Lilie tapped her father's ghostly arm. "Dad!" She scowled with a laugh. Bella broke out into giggles herself. "Alec, don't tease her. She's not a little girl anymore." She said. Alec shook his head as he cupped Lilie's chin. "No, but she's my little girl and she will always be." He said gently. "Lilie, you have to go now. We can't stay like this forever, you know."

A sad look appeared on Lilie's face. "But I want it to. I want to be here with you now that I'm here." She said softly.

Bella slowly shook her head. "No you don't, Lilie. You have your place on the Planet. As we have a place here. Someday, you will be here with us. But not now. Not for a long time." She said softly.

Lilie slowly nodded. "My place is at Rufus's side." Bella and Alec glanced at one another almost hesitantly but then they smiled at her and nodded. Lilie knew that they were hiding something. She frowned, looking at both of them. "What? What's wrong?"

The two shook their head as they backed away, as the darkness slowly began to creep towards Lilie. "We can't tell you, Lilie. But we will tell you this. Don't be sad when it happens. It's not what you think." Alec said. That just confused Lilie even more but before she could say anything, Bella held up a hand to silence her. "Lilie, remember this very carefully. Don't be afraid and don't be sad." She then smiled. "And remember, you're not alone as you think you are. You still have family on the Planet. You have a life to live with the last of our family. You will find out in time, by my older brother, your uncle." And that was the last thing Bella said before the darkness closed around Lilie, leaving her in the darkness.

Lilie just stood there in silence, staring into the darkness with wide eyes. She had an uncle? He was still alive? But...but where was he? Who was he? Why hadn't he come for her when her parents died? The darkness grew thicker and she fell to her knees then onto her side. Her eyes closed as tears fell down her cheeks. "I don't want to be alone." She whispered.

_"Lilie..." _

She kept her eyes closed though. She just sniffed heavily as if she was going to cry.

_"Lilie...wake up..."_

"I don't want to. I want to stay here, in my gloom. Even though, I hate being alone." She whispered.

_"You're not alone and I'm not leaving you here. Now wake up." _

There was something familiar about that voice. Who's voice was it? She was trying to remember. "I want to be with my parents. I want to stay in the Promised Land with them, and Aeris. I love Rufus but..." She cut herself off. "...I just don't want to be alone. I don't have any family...I don't have anyone...my uncle abandoned me when I needed him the most. Why would he do that?"

There was a long silence before she felt something touch her cheek. She didn't open her eyes though. _"You're not alone, Lilie. You do have family and your uncle never abandoned you. He was just caught up in something and he didn't know about you until you talked to him, told him who you were. I would never abandon you if I would have known." _The voice whispered. Lilie felt herself take in air sharply as she felt light slowly coming back to her. She felt warm now. Something was holding her. No, not something. Someone. "...Now wake up, Lilie Moy."

And her eyes opened to see the bright blue sky above her. And not only that. Vincent was bent over her, looking at her in concern. She could also see Barret standing behind him, looking down at her with his own concern as was Red XIII.

"Lil, ya aw'right?" Barret asked.

Lilie just stared up at them with confusion before her face twisted as if she was in pain or she was very tired and she closed her eyes again. "What happened?" She asked in a quiet voice.  
"Don't go back to sleep." Vincent told her and she opened her eyes again, looking at him with interest. "We managed to pull you out of the Lifestream. It's amazing your not dead and you're awake right now."

Lilie just frowned before she remembered what had happened. She found herself smiling at that second. She had been visited by her parents and by Aeris. But she also had heard someone's voice. Who's voice had that belonged to? Lilie couldn't help it anymore. She felt so tired from what happened to her. So she closed her eyes, even though Vincent and Barret both protested. She was asleep within seconds.

* * *

When she had woken up again, she was back aboard the airship in a room. Someone had carried her into the room and placed her on the bed so she could rest. She groaned once before she forced herself to sit up and stretched. What happened and how long had she been out? She wasn't sure. She figured that she better find out though. She climbed off the bed and went out the door, looking around as she went. Something seemed different about place. It seemed almost...lighter, friendlier.

With a shrug, Lilie went to the cockpit where everyone was waiting or talking to one another. She instantly smiled when she saw Tifa talking with Cloud Strife. So they were okay, that made her much happier. She glanced over when she heard Red XIII give a bark like laugh before he jumped over the railing and hurried over to her.

"Lilie!" He said happily.

Instantly everyone turned around to look at her. Both Barret and Cid grinned as they strided over, and Yuffie was jumping up and down. "Yippeeee!" She cheered. Lilie laughed shaking her head. She even saw Vincent smiling faintly from his little spot in the corner, while folding his arms. "It's so great that you're up and at 'em, Lil! We were worried about you when you were asleep for so long!" Barret said pulling her into a one armed hug. Lilie laughed again before she looked over at Tifa, who was walking over with a smile. "Lilie! Welcome back!"

"Thanks, Tifa. I'm glad to be back. Are you okay? You fell into the Lifestream too. I was worried about that." Lilie said. Tifa only nodded. "I'm fine." She then turned around and smiled towards Cloud. "And so is Cloud."  
Cloud walked over, looking just a little puzzled but it was clear that he remembered her. But then something else dawned on him. His eyes lit up even more and he stepped back again. "Hey! I know you!"

"Of course, you know her, Cloud. We saw her in Nibelheim. She was the salesgirl that Sephiroth hurt." Yuffie said now shadowboxing towards Cloud. The blonde shook his head. "No. That's not just it. I remember that, yeah. But I actually know her! You were Sephiroth's friend. The day he introduced you to me and Zack."  
Lilie saw the others just look at her with raised eyebrows. And once again, Barret was looking suspicious. She just shook her head. "Yeah. I WAS Sephiroth's friend before he betrayed me." Lilie said before smiling. "So, you remember me, huh, Cloud?"  
Cloud nodded as he walked over. "Yeah. Of course I remember you. You were a Turk Trainee back then. And by the looks of that uniform you're wearing, you made Turk." He said. Lilie nodded. "Yup. I did make Turk. Still am too." She said. Cloud tilted his head to the side. "Lilie Moy, right?" A nod. "Okay. Well...what are you doing here?" He asked simply. Lilie only shrugged. "What does it look like? I'm with you guys. I'm going to help you fight Sephiroth."

The blonde swordsman just studied her for a second before he lazily shrugged. "Oh. Okay." He then looked at Cid. "Are we in Junon yet?"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Barret exclaimed waving his arms in the air. "She's a Turk! And Rufus Shinra's girlfriend! And you're okay with that?!" he asked in disbelief. Cloud just looked Barret right in the eye before glancing at Lilie. "You're with Rufus Shinra?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Lilie only nodded as she folded her arms behind her back. "Yeah. So what? He's my boyfriend and I'm his girlfriend. It's a long story and we really don't have time to take a listen, now do we?" She asked. Cloud shook his head. "Nope. Guess not." He then looked back at Cid, waiting for his answer.

"CLOUD!"

Cloud looked back at Barret. "Barret, I really don't care if Lilie is a Turk and she's Rufus's girlfriend. I'm cool with it, all right?" He said sounding impatient.

Barret rose his eyebrow. "So am I. But I have to ask. Why?"

"Because Lilie is too nice to be evil as you might be thinking. For god's sake, she was too cheerful when I first met her. And she's just as cheerful from the last time I first met her. Besides, she's one helluva fighter, from what I heard from Sephiroth." Cloud said with a shrug. No one said anything after that. They only smiled at Lilie as she shook her head. "So, where are we off to?"

Tifa spent the last half an hour filling in with what everyone had discussed before. She told Lilie how that Cloud wasn't really in SOLDIER, though Lilie explained to her that she already knew that. Tifa didn't even bother asking how she knew it. "So, we're on our way towards Junon to get the Huge Materia. Maybe while we're there, we might run into Rufus. Hopefully he won't try to kill us again." The martial artist told her.  
"Don't worry. He won't, unless he doesn't want to kiss me again." Lilie said, laughing. Tifa laughed with her, while the others rolled their eyes. "Besides, if he does get mad, I'll just keep him distracted while you guys escape. He wouldn't dream of hurting me, no matter how upset he gets. He loves me too much."

Tifa only smiled. "I would like to see him in a peaceful state some time. Every time we've met, he's always been so...I don't know. He's always tried to kill us. Or he orders the Turks to do it." She said. Lilie nodded with a faint smile. "I understand. Things will change, believe me. I'll make sure of it." She said. Tifa nodded before they both turned around when Cid gave a loud "Yeehaw!"

"Ladies, and Gents! We've finally arrived! So Cloud! Who's goin' with ya?" Cid said as the airship slowly landed.

Cloud folded his arms, looking down at the ground trying to think. "We can't all go down there. It's more than likely it'll only cause trouble." He then looked over each and every person. Eventually he nodded towards to Lilie. "Hey, Lil. You ever been in the Reactor before?" He asked. Lilie shook her head. "Not really. But I've seen the blue prints for the place." She told him. The blonde nodded. "Well, if we go down there it's a good chance that we get lost trying to find it. I'm not even sure where it is. Lilie, since you've been here in Junon plenty of times and you probably know where it is, you're coming with me." He then looked over at Vincent. "Vincent, you too." He looked at everyone else. "You guys okay with that?"

Everyone only nodded in agreement. "I don't like water too much. I would probably get really freaked out if I was underwater. "Red XIII spoke up.  
Yuffie cringed. "I already hate being in the air. What makes you think I'll enjoy being under water?" She then clapped her hand over her stomache. "Ugh...just thinking about it is making me sick." She then ran out of the room.  
Tifa nodded as she folded her hands behind her back. "I'm all right with it. It'll give you a chance to see what Lilie can do, Cloud."

"I don' want anyone to touch my ship! So I'm up for it on stayin' here!" Cid said as he grabbed a hold of the helm. Cloud only nodded. "All right. Then we'll be on our way. We'll see you when we get back, guys." He said giving them a salute. He turned to the other two and nodded. "Let's go."


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**Chapter 22:**

The three quickly entered Junon through the lower part of the city, Cloud leading the way. They moved over to where the elevator was and Lilie almost smirked when she saw the guard. It was the same one she had put to sleep before. This was going to be really fun. She made sure that her suit was all in order as she followed Cloud and Vincent over to the elevator.

"Halt! This is Shinra's elevator! You can not..." The Shinra guard was saying as he aimed his gun. He stopped immediately when Lilie stepped forward and put her fists onto her waist. She was giving him her fiercest glare. "Oh no! Not you!"

Cloud and Vincent just glanced at Lilie, smirks on both of their faces while Lilie smirked coldly at the guard. "Well, well. Nice to see you again, bud. Unfortunately we don't have time to mess around with you so why don't you just let us pass through." She said. The guard shook his head. "N-no can do, m-ma-am. You have to be a..."

"Ugh! I swear, Heidigger's hired some of the most dense people for guards." Lilie groaned. "Hey, bucko! Check out the uniform! I'm a Turk, is that enough?! If not, then check this out!" She said as she dug into her pocket and showed the guard her id card. The guard just stared at it before he slumped over. "Aw, man! I'm so going to get fired for this. Especially when I'm letting you pass. Fine, fine. I'll let you pass. Just as long as you don't manipulate me again." He grumbled as he stepped aside.  
Lilie nodded with satisfaction before she looked at Cloud, who was smirking. "I think Barret's right about you. You do intend to show off a little." The blonde said. Lilie only shrugged. "So? We're through, right? Let's go." She said. Cloud nodded and all three stepped onto the elevator going all the way up to the upper city.

The three walked through the city, Lilie right by Cloud's side, just in case they ended up getting stopped. She was wearing her id card on her jacket, though she really didn't need to. A few guards they passed recognized her and eventually just waved at her. She waved back with a smile and continued to walk on with Cloud and Vincent. They finally came to an elevator that would take them down to the reactor, luckily not getting stopped or in trouble at all. When they got on the elevator, there were two guards on it, along with a woman in the corner. The two men both looked at one another as the three climbed onto the elevator and then they both raised their guns.

"How 'bout, whoever stays alive, gets to take her out?" Lilie heard one mutter to the other.

"All right, you're on!!"

Cloud, Lilie and Vincent turned around and gave the two guards a look, who were looking ready to fight. "But...what if both of us..." The first had muttered. The other stepped back. "Whoa!! Don't even talk about that!" He said before they turned to attack.

Unfortunately it was at that second both Cloud and Vincent slammed them both into the wall. The two guards fell to the ground, motionless, but alive. "What retards. Who in the hell fights in a moving elevator?" Lilie grumbled as she turned back around. Cloud and Vincent both shrugged. "Them, I suppose." The Ex-Turk muttered quietly.

The doors finally opened and the three walked off the elevator. They were soon met by two more guards. "Look! It's Avalanche!" One exclaimed.

"Okay! Back to work! Back to work!" The other ordered. The other shrugged as he starts yawning. "Yawn. I'm sleepy." He complained. The other shook his head as he raised his weapon. "For Junon!" And they attacked. The battle wasn't even that long. Lilie had flipped right over the guards and kicked them both from behind, making them fly towards Cloud and Vincent, who both grabbed them and threw them against the wall. They were out cold within seconds.

Lilie dusted her hands off before she turned and started walking down the hall. "Come on. It's down this way." She said. Cloud and Vincent followed her. They traveled through the long corridors before they found another elevator. When they went down in it and came to another hallway, they were completely taken by surprise. The entire hall way was under water and they could see all sorts of sea life swimming around outside the glass hallway.  
"Oh, wow. I'm starting to wish that I came down here earlier. This is amazing." Lilie said as she started walking, looking at the dolphins playing with others. Cloud was looking just as amazed. "I never knew Shinra could think of something like this for a Mako Reactor." He said. Lilie smiled over at him as she watched a jellyfish swim right by her. "You'd be surprised on what kind of ideas Rufus has for the world."

"Let me guess, world domination?" Cloud asked with sarcasim.

Lilie laughed but shook her head. "Of course not. He knows that he can't control the entire world. I think he's starting to see it right now, since you guys keep defying him. No, actually he wants to build a zoo someday."

Both Cloud and Vincent looked over at her. "A zoo? What kind of zoo?" The blonde asked. Lilie shrugged. "You know, a zoo. A place where people of all ages could walk through and look at the most exotic creatures."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous though? The creatures have magic and could be very dangerous you know." Cloud said. Lilie nodded. "I know. But that's the only good thing about Hojo. He built some kind of device that soaks up all the magic power before magic can be used. They were going to use it against you once but Rufus decided not to. He figured that if Hojo's device could do something like that, we don't want it to get ruined. He wants to use it for the zoo and not against his enemies. He likes a fair fight and doesn't cheat. Believe it or not." She said. Vincent slowly nodded. "I think I'm starting to like Rufus Shinra more and more know I'm learning about him." He said quietly. Cloud just shrugged.

They finally reached another elevator and went down it to where the reactor was. Lilie lead Cloud and Vincent through a hallway, which lead to a very big room. It stunned Cloud just by the size of it. Below the wire walkway they had to walk across, they could see two large submarines. One was ruby red and the other was steele grey. They could see a few guards but they didn't seem to notice the three walking across the walkway.  
Once they crossed the walkway and entered another room, they found a few guards walking around. One in particular turned around and spotted them. "You! You're Cloud!!" He gasped. Cloud quickly rushed forward, cutting him down. Lilie and Vincent hurried after him, the Turk giving him a look. "Don't kill them, Cloud! Some of these guys are some I trained." She said. Cloud just shook his head. "Hey, they attack us, we attack back. No matter what."

They turn towards two more guards blocking their path. "You are NOT getting this Huge Materia!" One barked before they charged.

The three quickly stood in a fighting stance before they attacked back. Lilie ducked around one guard, smashing her elbow against his head. He fell to the ground in a slump. Cloud met the guard's attack with his sword, blocking the blade from hitting him. Then Vincent grabbed a hold of the guard's uniform and threw him against a wall. He was out cold too. The three turned and went into the next room.

"So you WERE after the Huge Materia!" A guard blocking their path exclaimed.

"Hold it, Trike. I think I'll take care of this one on my own." The other said as he stepped forward.

Lilie's eyes lit up when she heard that voice. She remembered it pretty well because the owner had taunted her so many times when she was a child. "Michael McCauley." She whispered. The guard stepped forward, pulling off his helmet. He was almost glaring daggers at Lilie as he aimed his gun at her. "Hello, babygirl. So, how's Tseng's favorite little bitch?!" He asked harshly.

Lilie glared at him, her hands tightly clenched her Psis. She wasn't going to let him get to her. No way.  
When she didn't answer, McCauley sneered at her. "I heard you made Turks. So you beat the youngest Turk record. And I heard what happened to Tseng. Too bad it hadn't been me who killed that bastard!" He shot. Lilie gritted her teeth. "Shut up! You're just mad at him because he kicked you out of the Turk Training for what you did!" She snapped right back.  
McCauley narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. "You were suppose to die that day, Moy! It's a shame that Sephiroth had to go after you and that freak, Reno! I so wished that you would have died in Wall Street! It would have been better for all of those Turk trainees that you screwed over! And now, Moy, I'm going to make sure you never leave this place alive!" He said slicing the air with his gunblade. Lilie glared at him, stepping forward. "Cloud, Vincent, I'll take care of this." She said coldly facing McCauley. The two never said a word as they just stepped back and watched.

Lilie and McCauley glared at one another before they made their moves. They charged at one another swinging their blades at one another. Lilie quickly ducked to the side as the gunblade came down towards her. She then threw her elbow in McCauley's gut making him stagger back with a gasp. That is until he turned around and threw his fist right into Lilie's cheek. She flew back into the wall, before charging again. She ducked under the blade again, before slamming her Psi right into McCauley's middle. The guard gave a cry of pain as he felt the blade enter in him. Lilie just held it there for a second before she pulled out and threw her hand right into his face, blasting him with a blue-green light. The impact made him fly onto his back. It was to his surprise, when he looked down at his stomache, that the wound healed up. He looked up at Lilie with wide eyes, looking very surprised and stunned at the same time. Lilie glared down at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously into his own.

"Now, run away, McCauley. Because next time I stab you, I won't heal you." She said in a dangerous tone.

McCauley slowly got to his feet, looking at her with confusion. "Why did...why did you heal me?" He asked. Lilie turned away from him, looking towards the entrance to the reactor room. "Because I'm not you. Or the others that spent days and days of taunting me or trying to trick me into doing something stupid." She said before she walked over to the door. Cloud and Vincent followed her without any hesitation at all.

"McCauley! We can't let them go! We have to stop them!" The other guard exclaimed. There was a long pause before McCauley turned away and started to walk away himself. "If you want to stop them, go ahead. But I'm getting the hell out of here." He said as he left.

"Lilie." Cloud said as they walked towards the reactor. Lilie turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What was that all about? You knew that guard?" The blonde asked. Lilie nodded as she looked forward again. "Unfortunately. That was Michael McCauley. He used to be a Turk Trainee, like many others before they did something stupid, real stupid, and it cost them their future of being Turks."  
Vincent walked beside her. "What did they do?" He asked quietly.

Lilie sighed shaking her head. "They taunted me because I was the youngest Turk canidate in Turk History. They were extremely jealous because I was doing so well. I was getting good gradings and fighting extremely good. They kept calling me the baby Turk because of my age. And they teased Reno because he defended me every time. They called him the Great Baby Defender and that really pissed him off. Reno was the only one in Turk training that befriended me and believed that if I wanted to be a Turk, I could make it. No matter how young I was." She stopped, looking right at the two mercenaries. "Eventually they bragged about how I was so scared about going into Wall Street. I was so angry that I took up their dare. I had never been in Wall Street before that and I didn't know how dangerous it could have been. Especially for a girl like me."

"What happened? Did you do it?" Cloud asked.

Lilie nodded. "Yeah, I did it all right. And it nearly got me killed. I was lucky enough that Reno was determined to see me get through it all right and that Sephiroth had overheard what the other trainees said. He came after me, Reno and Rude and saved my life from some really sick men. I won't even get into the details. But it ticked Tseng off so much that the other Turk Trainees would taunt me like that. It was partially my fault. I shouldn't have done it. But I was young and I was angry. He kicked out all of the Trainees from the Turk Training because there's no room in the Turk program for people who are rude to their team mates and would try and make them do something so dangerous."

Vincent slowly nodded. "I agree...to do something like that, someone would get seriously hurt."

Cloud nodded before they looked at the metal pod the Huge Materia was in. It was at that very second a mechanical arm arrived and lowered into the pod.

"The Huge Materia! They're taking it!" Lilie exclaimed.

"We've come too late!" Vincent said before they all started to run after the arm. They rushed into the next room, where the subs were waiting. It was to Lilie's surprise that Reno was standing off to the side, watching as the arm lower the Huge Materia into the red sub's deck.

"Did we make it?!" Cloud asked as he looked up at the sub.

The three rushed forward. Lilie was going to say something to Reno, but stopped herself when she watched him tilt his head to side as if he was looking over his shoulder at them. "What are you doing? Help load." He silently ordered, thinking that the three were guards. He eventually turned around before stepping back in surprise to see Cloud right there in front of him. "Cloud?!"

Vincent flipped his red cloak back, shaking his head. "I refuse." He said quietly. Lilie snorted as she folded her arms. "Reno, you know that I never listen to you. So stop ordering me around." She said with a smirk. Reno turned his eyes onto her and they lit up in surprise. "Lilie! You're here?" Then he frowned looking at Cloud with disgust. "With them?!"  
Lilie shook her head. "It's a long story, Reno. But we really don't have time unless you're willing to listen. But knowing you, you won't listen to Cloud. Just please, give me the Huge Materia." She said. Reno just stared at her, looking very confused and hesitant. "Lilie, what the hell are you doing with Avalanche?! You're not turning your back on us, are you?" He asked, sounding a little worried.

"Of course not, Reno! You know I would never turn my back on you, the others, not even on Rufus! But I can't let you guys have the Huge Materia! The plan won't work! When did Scarlett's plan ever work?! Her plans always gets someone killed or seriously hurt!" Lilie said stepping forward. Reno still didn't look happy. He just stared into Lilie's eyes, a deep frown on his face. "Lilie...I have my orders. My orders are to take the Huge Materia and not hand them to Cloud and his crew. The orders are for you too, since you're a Turk. What's it going to be?" He asked. There was definitely something in his voice. The other two could hear it too, yet Lilie shook her head. "This order I'm going to have to ignore, Reno. Please, just give it to Cloud and Vincent." She said, almost begging. Reno just stared at her before shaking his head. "I can't do that."

"Either give it to us or else." Cloud said, his hand on his sword. "Which is it gonna be?"

Lilie just stared at her friend with a pleading look. She did not want to fight him. She really didn't. But she would if she really had to. She couldn't let them take the Huge Materia. Reno, however, turned a glare onto Cloud, his eyes flashing with anger and annoyance. With a slight glance back at Lilie, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with you." He said, pressing a button on a device in his hand.

Suddenly a large simian robot turned from the sub and lumbered over towards them. "My priority is the Huge Materia." Reno finished before he looked at Lilie, with almost an angry, yet painful look. "Lilie, you don't have to do this. You don't have to die too with these idiots. Come on with me and we'll take the Huge Materia to Rocket Town together." he said as the robot began its attack on them. Lilie let out a sad sigh before she shook her head and pulled out her Psis. "They saved my life again, Reno. They didn't hurt me when they had the chance and they were very nice to me. I can't let them die." She shook her head again. "I'm sorry, Reno."

Reno frowned, a flash of sadness on his face as he turned away. "Yeah." He paused. "Me too." He then ran off towards a ladder to the walkway.

The robot swung it's large arms at the three, who immediately scattered, their weapons out in their hands. "You know! You didn't need to do that! Defend us like that!" Cloud yelled over to Lilie as he quickly charged towards the robot, slashing at it's metal frame. He quickly jerked back as the robot swung its arm back at him, missing him by inches.  
"Yeah I did! I did it because I know what's right! But I'm not turning my back on him! Or Shinra! I would never do that!" Lilie yelled back as she spun in a circle, slashing the robot as hard as she could. "He's my best friend! He's almost like my brother and I consider him as the same! But I meant what I said! I know what you guys are doing is the right thing! Duty or not!" She yelled before she jumped back when the robot's right arm came very close to grabbing her.

"Enough talk!" Vincent called over as he took off many shots with his gun. "The submarine is getting away and we still must deal with this thing!"

Lilie nodded as she landed on her feet from jumping away from the robot. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the robot. "All right! Time to get rid of this thing!" She said before she kicked into using the Ultima materia. She began to glow brightly as she began to throw the spell as the robot. Both Cloud and Vincent quickly moved when they noticed what she was doing. They just didn't know what spell that she was using. The spell shot from Lilie's hands, flying at the robot and hitting it back hard. The robot slid several feet before making a loud explosion. One arm had fallen off from the impact.  
The robot then gave a loud angry sound before swinging at the three, hitting them all back. Lilie gasped in pain as she hit the ground. She had felt something crack in her arm, making her wince. "Damn it! This thing is stronger than I thought!" Cloud yelled before he starting glowing. Lilie sat up in time to see him running forward, then jumped up into the air. "Meteorain!" Very large rocks began to fly from his sword, smashing against the robot, making it rock on its feet. After Cloud's attack, it swung its arm again just as he landed back on the ground. It hit him like a bat, sending him flying right into crates.  
Lilie winced as she watched Cloud shatter the wood with his own body. Then she saw a flash of light on her side. She turned to see that Vincent was suddenly transforming into some kind of monster. His arms grew larger, as did his body. He had turned into some kind of Frankenstein creature. The demon roared angrily at the robot before rushing forward and slamming its large arms into the robot, denting its hard body.  
Lilie gritted her teeth before crossed the Psis, like a cross. She was using her very own limit like the other two were doing and had done. She narrowed her eyes dangerously before she began to glow a firery blue color. Her Psis grew hot white as did the trident markings on the blades. "Hot Tempest!" She yelled before slashed the air in front of her. A sudden twister of hot air and water suddenly exploded right in front of her before flying over and slamming into the robot. The robot rocked again on its feet before lashing out through the twister and slamming into Lilie. Lilie gasped in pain as she felt its claws close around her, and tightly. Her attack died, leaving a lot damage on the robot.

"Lilie!" She heard Cloud yell as he tried to climb out of the mess he had been thrown in. But he hadn't been the only one. She cried out in pain as the robot began to squeeze her in the claws. She looked up towards the walkway to see Reno still standing there watching on with horror and frustration. He was gripping the railing hard that his knuckles were white.

Lilie couldn't help but scream when the robot's claw just squeezed her even tighter. She could hear Cloud and the creature, Death Gigas now attacking the robot with hard core attacks to free her. She just closed her eyes.

"Damn it!" She heard Reno yell from above.

Suddenly the robot gave a loud clicking noise and the claw suddenly opened, dropping Lilie to the ground. She gasped as she hit the hard floor but then she felt Cloud grab her arm, pulling out from under the robot as it suddenly died, falling into a heap. Lilie gasped for air, trying to refill her lungs before she looked towards the walkway where Reno was pointing the device towards the robot. He met her blue eyes with his own before he frowned and turned, running away.

"What the hell happened? Did it just die out?" Cloud asked as he helped Lilie stand up.

Vincent suddenly reappeared next to them, looking at Lilie with concern. He was more than likely looking for any injuries. Lilie just shook her head before brushing herself off. "No. Reno shut it down." She faintly smiled. "He's still too protective over me." She said before she looked at Cloud.

"Reno shut it off?" Why did he do that?" The blonde asked.

Vincent shook his head as he glanced up at the walkway. "It's friendship, Cloud. He cares for Lilie." He said quietly. Lilie nodded. "He's my best friend. He could never stand seeing me get hurt." She then looked towards the other submarine. "Hurry! We still can catch the sub with the Huge Materia!" She said running towards the steele gray sub. Cloud and Vincent ran after her.

They rushed over to the sub where several guards were trying to climb the ladder to escape in it. Lilie gritted her teeth before she kicked up into the air, above their heads, landing in front of them. "Uh-uh! This one's ours, guys!" She said before shoving the guard on top of the ladder. The guard gasped as he fell down, knocking the rest off the ladder. Quickly, Cloud and Vincent climbed up, jumping over the guards. The three quickly climbed into the sub, dropping down just in time to see three guards guarding the door.

"You want the sub? Just try an' take it!" One yelled.

Another looked at him with worry. "Um...sir! Maybe we shouldn't piss them off..." He muttered but they still charged.

Lilie jumped forward, catching one's attack with her Psis. She brought her knee up into his chest, knocking the air out of them. Then she threw him to the side, kicking him hard in the face. Cloud slashed down his guard, the one that had refused to hand over the sub, killing him instantly while Vincent grabbed his guard threw him right out of the entrance of the Sub.  
With a nod of satisfaction, Cloud rushed for the cockpit with Lilie and Vincent right behind him. Inside the cockpit, there was a captain and two guards. They all looked at the three with fear in their eyes. Though the captain looked at Lilie with disbelief. She knew this man. He had been one of the men that teased her when she first arrived in Junon and he had learned his lesson when she kicked the living shit out of him and his friends.

"No, NO! This is terrible!!" The Captain cried out. He turns to the other two. "We don't have much time left! I don't want to die!" He cried out.

One of the guards turned back to him as he quickly climbed out of the chair. "There's still so much more I've got to do! I never even got to do my special victory dance in battle!!" He cried out. The captain nodded, pointing at him. "All right!! Then make this your first victory!! Go on, show 'em!!"

"Yes, sir!!" Both guards yell before they face Cloud, Vincent and Lilie, who watch with wonder. The three didn't even look like they were going to fight these three idiots. "Remember your last training! Begin!" The captain barked. The guards nod as they twirl their guns above their head, doing exactly what Cloud usually did when he put his sword away. Lilie gave Cloud an interested look, who was smirking with his arms folded.

The captain turned back. "I'm back! An' now I got no regrets!" He pointed towards the three. "ATT-----ACK!!" He barked. However, the guards just stood there, looking very afraid.

Lilie rolled her eyes. "Dim, why don't you just go sit over there and shut up. Or do I have to show you what makes me a great Turk again?"

The captain winced as he slowly lowered his hand and backed down. "Ugh...no way. That last beating kept me from duties." He turned to the other two. "Company!" He barked, raising a finger before wincing again. "Sit our asses down." He grumbled moving over to the side. The guards moved over with him and they sat down. Cloud just sniggered before he looked at the navigation controls. Instantly his face turned a little green and he spun around, clutching his stomache. "Someone...please. I'm sorry. I can't take it anymore. The lack of space, the shaking, the roar of the engine." He groaned as he knelt onto the ground.

Lilie frowned as she hurried forward and knelt beside him. "Cloud, what's wrong?" She asked, touching his back. Vincent shook his head as he folded his arms. "He gets motion sickness. I remember Tifa mentioning it once before." He said. Lilie frowned. "Hm. I used to get motion sickness when I was younger. But then I started driving the thing and I didn't feel sick anymore. Maybe you should try driving, Cloud."  
Cloud stood back up, actually looking better. "Hey, you're right. I DO feel a little better driving." He grinned as he turned back around. "No sweat. Just leave everything to me." He said as he slid into the sit. "Okay, let's give this baby a try." He looked over his shoulder at the captain. "Hey, how do you drive this thing?"

The Captain just sat there in silence before he glanced up at Lilie, who gave him a look of warning. Grumbling, he stood up and moved over. "Just press those buttons there and it'll launch off. You can control the sub with that lever." He said pointing. Cloud nodded as he did what the captain said. And they were off.

Everyone sat in silence as Cloud piloted the sub after the red one. It took about ten minutes of firing the missiles after it but they finally sank the thing. "Phew! We did it!" Cloud cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "The Huge Materia should be at the bottom of the sea by now. Let's continue the search..." He was saying.

Suddenly there was a blare of static and a voice came onto the radio. _"All Shinra Submarine Units, do you read...?"_ A voice called. _"All Shinra Submarine Units, do you read...?"_

Cloud glanced over at Lilie with nervousness, who was closest to the radio. "Hmm...? Must be from Shinra." He muttered.

_"Report, No. 2." _The voice on the radio.

Lilie frowned before she picked up the radio. "That's us. I'll take care of it." She said before pushing the button. "This is Shinra No. 2, reporting in, sir!" She said in a loud and clear voice. "Everything's normal with us! What is our next act of duty, sir?!"

_"Roger! Your next mission is to return to Junon Dock. We will transport the Huge Materia from the airport. Those without other assignments will report for guard duty. That is all. Over and out." _

Lilie nodded as she put the radio down and looked at the grinning Cloud. "Hey! That was pretty good, Lilie! Not shabby at all." He said. Lilie only shrugged. "It's just basic communication when it comes to radios. Well, we better get going if we're going to catch that plane with the Huge Materia, then we better get going." She said. Cloud nodded. "All right! We're climbing." He said and pushed the button to go to the surface.

The three rushed back to the Junon airport just as the plane, Gelnika, was taking off. The three watched it fly right off into the sky, and Cloud groaned. "Oh no! The Huge Materia."  
Vincent shook his head. "Where's its destination?" He asked quietly. Lilie shrugged as she turned to look at the other two. "They're heading to Rocket Town. Remember, Reno said that in the Underwater Reactor." She said. Cloud turned and nodded to her. "Okay. Then let's go to Rocket Town."


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**Chapter 23:**

It took two hours just to get to Rocket Town at the speed they were going. Lilie was looking out the window again, watching the clouds fly by and she was thinking about what was happening. She couldn't help but look up at the giant black flaming rock in the sky. It made her shudder to think that the world was going to end like that. She wanted to do so much before she died. And now it was being thrown away because of someone she considered a friend once.

When the airship landed, Cloud had decided to take Cid and Tifa with him this time, so the others were going to wait there for them. The others were sitting around, watching Rocket Town from the window. It only surprised them when they watched the Rocket blast off into the sky.

"Oh man. I hope Cloud and the others weren't in there when it took off." Yuffie said as she just stood near the window.

Lilie frowned with concern before she looked up at Vincent, who was standing closest to her. "Do you think they were in there?" She asked quietly. The Ex-Turk just glanced at her before shaking his head. "The only way of finding out is waiting for them to return. If they don't return, then we know they were up in the Rocket."  
Lilie crinkled her nose as she just looked up at him. "You know, you're really depressing. You know that?" She asked. Vincent rolled his red eyes while the others snigger.

"Sirs, ma-ams! I think we have trouble coming this way!" A tech called out.

Everyone turned around and looked down towards the ground, just to see a large group of Shinra guards lead by the one and only Rude. And it didn't look like they were coming to be friendly. "Oh great! Rude of the Turks is coming! And it doesn' look good!" Barret groaned. Vincent looked down at Lilie who was frowning before she turned and walked towards the door. "Hey! Where are you going?" Yuffie asked. Lilie shook her head. "Don't worry. I'll talk to them. Rude's a friend of mine. I'll find out what he wants." She said. Everyone nodded as they followed her out onto the deck of the ship.

Lilie put her hand on her waist when she spotted Rude and the guards climbing up the ladder. "Coming for social call, Rude?" She asked with a smile.

The dark skinned Turk looked up at her before stepping back in surprise. "Lilie?!" He asked with shock. "Lilie, what are you doing here? Where were you? We've been looking all over for you." He said. Lilie shook her head. "Oh no worries, Rude. I was safe here with Avalanche. They saved my life and so I'm repaying them." She said. Rude frowned, now looking confused. "Lilie, you're with them?" He asked now starting to sound serious. Lilie rolled her eyes. "No, Rude. I'm just catching a ride home, only making a few stops along the way. Yes, I'm with them. But it's not what you think."

Rude just tilted his head before he glanced at the group behind her. "I still don't understand. If you're not with them, what else is it? You're not..."

"No, Rude. I'm not turning my back on you and the company. I'm just trying to help them because I know what they're doing is the right thing. Those Huge Materia, which I know is why you're here doesn't belong to the company. They belong to the Planet. Please, Rude. I don't want to fight you. But I will if I have to." She said, with a sigh.  
Rude stood there in silence before he turned to the guards. "Leave us for a minute." He ordered. The guards started to protest but the look Rude gave them made them quickly reconsider. So it was just Lilie, Rude and the Avalanche members. Rude turned back to Lilie, folding his arms over his chest. "You've got a minute to explain."

Lilie smiled and shook her head. "Okay. I'll try to make this sound as understanding as I can." She blew out a sigh before taking another deep breath. "All right. When Weapon attack Junon, Barret, here took me because he thought that if their friend Tifa got captured they could trade me for her, which he got yelled at by everyone here, and the others that aren't here. We made peace and decided to try and help each other just until Rufus calmed down and they would bring me back to Junon so I could be with him. Unfortunately we got caught up in the whole searching for Huge Materia ordeal. I decided to help them because that whole plan of Scarlett's sound so stupid and we all know that it won't work. So we decided to steal the Materia just in case we could use them for other plans. I helped stopped the train from hitting Corel Town, and we broke into the Underwater reactor, where we ran into Reno, who turned a robot on us but then shut it down when it nearly killed me. And then we stole the Shinra Sub No. 2 so we could get the other Huge Materia and then came here to stop you guys from destroying the Huge Matera, just to make Meteor explode, which is definitely not going to work because let's face it, Rude. The Meteor is ten times bigger than that rocket. It's just going to shatter it into pieces." She said as quickly as she could nearly not taking a breath at all. She then shook her head, wobbling a little from the lack of air in her lungs. "Man, I'm dizzy. I better not do that again."

Yuffie was giggling while Barret snorted with laughter. Red XIII sniggered with Cait Sith and Vincent rolled his eyes. Rude slowly shook his head trying not to smile. "Only you, Lilie, could talk so much without breathing and passing out." He muttered before looking serious again. "Lilie, how do you know that the plan won't work. The Huge Materia is extremely powerful. What if you just ruined the only hope we had?" He asked, sounding like a lecturing brother.

Lilie rolled her eyes. "Rude, you just have to trust me. You do trust me, right? I mean, we've been friends for a long time and there's a lot of trust there. But you can't seriously think that I'm not trustworthy anymore. You know how much I love Rufus and I wouldn't do something if I knew it was wrong."

There was a very long silence between the two Turks before Rude turned away, his head still tilted towards her. "I hope you're right, Lilie. I really do. Because I know how you get when you get upset." He blew out a sigh before heading towards the ladder, pausing for a long moment. "..." He turned back. "Lilie, what am I going to tell Rufus about this? He's not going to be happy."

A sly smile spread out on Lilie's face before she tossed her bangs out of her eyes. "Tell him that I love so much, Rude. And if he questions it, tell him that I said this." She flipped her hair back, placing her hand onto her waist. "Tough titty said the rough kitty. He'll understand."

Rude nodded with a smile before he climbed down the ladder, pausing before he disappeared over the railing. "You two, and your weird quotes." And then he was gone.

Lilie shook her head before she looked at the other Avalanche members who were giving her an interested look. "Tough titty said the rough kitty?" Red XIII asked with skeptism.

"What in da hell?!" Barret grumbled.

Lilie laughed as she shook her head. "Sorry if that one confused you quite a bit. It's just a saying between me and Rufus. Ever since we first met each other." She said. Yuffie tilted her head in a curious way. "What does it mean?" She asked. The Turk only smiled even more before she started to go inside. "It means deal with it. I say it whenever someone gets pissed at me and questions my motives." She said before she went inside. The group of friends just glanced at one another before they either laughed or shook their heads with a smirk.

* * *

When Cloud, Tifa and Cid returned, they told their friends what had happened and how they got off the Rocket before it hit the Meteor. Luckily they had gotten the Huge Materia before they left with Shera. Then the others told about the visit with Rude. At first, Cloud and Cid looked a little concerned about how Rude had been on the Highwind but then relaxed when Lilie reassured that she had taken care of it. She told them about what she said to Rude and how he left without a fight. Then everyone looked up at the sky where Meteor was still falling. It was only moments after some kind of explosion in the air. To their utter disappointment it was still there. Lilie had been right about Scarlett's plan.

"Rufus and the other's plan was a failure..." Cloud said as he walked closer to the window.

Barret shook his head as he looked at the blonde. "What a bust...But I kinda hoped it'd work." He said. Lilie sighed shaking her head. "As I said before. Meteor is just too big. It would take something a lot bigger than the Rocket full of Huge Materia." She said with a sigh.  
Cait Sith slumped in his corner. "We been botherin' them as much as we can...but there ain't no other way." He frowned looking around. "Wonder if we've been wrong all this time."

Red XIII turned towards everyone, shaking his head. "Makes you worry, doesn't it?" He asked. Tifa shook her head, bouncing on her heels. "Don't worry! Think!" She said as cheerfully as she could. That brought a smile to everyone's faces. Cid nodded as he walked forward. "Hey! The girl's right. You start worryin' and there's stoppin' it! Things just start fallin' apart and get worst and worst!" He said pumping a fist into the air.

Lilie smiled as she stood straighter. "You're right! You're both right! We shouldn't worry about it! We'll come up with something better than the rocket!"

Barret just looked Cid and Lilie over. "You're pretty optimistic! You up to somethin'?" He asked looking very hopeful.

Cid nodded as he walked over to the other older man. "Yeah, I been thinkin' about this and that. All the time we been up here lookin' at the Planet. I been thinkin' even when we were floatin' in the ocean in that escape pod."  
Cloud nodded as he looked out the window. "I've been thinking too. About the universe...planet...ocean." He turned back looking at them. "How wide and big...no matter where I go and what I do won't change a thing."  
Cid shook his head as he turned towards him. "Maybe you're right." That made Cloud looked back at him. "But I came up with something different." Cid added. He then looked around at everyone as they stepped closer. "I always thought this Planet was so huge. But lookin' at it from space, I realized it's so small." Cid turned to Barret, shaking his head. "We're just floatin' in the dark...kind of makes you feel powerless. On top of that it's got Sephiroth festerin' inside it like a sickness." He sighed shaking his head again. "That's why I say this planet's still a kid. A little kid sick and trembling in the middle of this huge universe." He said turning to Red XIII. "Someone's gotta protect it." He then looked over at Lilie, who smiled with a nod. "Ya follow me? That someone is us."

Tifa smiled with a deep, happy sigh. "Cid...that's beautiful!"

Lilie nodded. "Yeah. That was a great speech." She added her piece. Barret pumped a fist into the air. "Yo! Cid! You even got to me! So now what? How're we gonna protect the Planet from Meteor?" He asked in wonder.

Cid was quiet for a minute before he winced and rubbed the back of his neck. He then turned around and went to sit down by the helm. "...I'm still thinkin' about that." He muttered. Lilie couldn't help but laugh softly and shake her head. Everyone just turned and went walking back to their usual spots before Red XIII jerked around, looking up at the ceiling. "Huh?!" He hurried up the stairs from where he usually sat and stand in the middle of the room. "Did you...hear something?"

Everyone looked at him in wonderment before they were quiet, listening hard to what he might have heard. But then they all could hear it. There was some kind of inhuman crying sound in the air. "The planet's scream...or Meteor? Is it this planet?" Tifa wondered out loud. Everyone looked at Cloud when he spoke up. "Hey, how do we know that this is really the Planet's scream?"

Tifa tilted her head. "Did you forget? Bugenhagen told us." She said. Cloud slowly nodded. "Bugenhagen..."

Red XIII jumped to his feet. "Let's go see Grandfather!! To Cosmos Canyon! I'm sure he'll be able to tell us something that will be helpful!" He said. Everyone nodded while Lilie frowned in confusion. She didn't know that name at all. "Bugenhagen..." She whispered before she turned towards Red XIII, who was looking very excited. So it was clear that he knew that man very well. She then walked over to Cait Sith, looking at him in wonder. "Cait, who's Bugenhagen?"  
The cat grinned up at her. "Who, Bugenhagen? Oh, he's a really neat old man. He's also Red XIII grandfather, or that's what Red calls him." He then glanced around before leaning closer to her. "This's just between you 'n' me but..." He paused glancing around again. "That there Bugenhagen fellar, used to be a pretty handy Shinra worker. Yep, he ain't never bought no weapons or Mako though..." He shrugged.

Lilie only tilted her head. "But why are we going to see him? How can he help us come up with a plan?"

Cait Sith shook his head. "Lil, Bugenhagen lives in Cosmos Canyon. He studies the planet and he has this comptraption that lets him studie the universe. I wonder if they'll let you see it. It would definitely let you learn something." He told her.

Lilie only stared off before she went over to the railing, sitting down in wonder. Everyone was quiet for a long time before they finally arrived at Cosmos Canyon. Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII went on ahead to go see this Bugenhagen, while the others sat talking to one another. Lilie was really starting to miss Rufus. She was wondering what he was doing right at the moment. She gently touched the necklace around her neck. She remembered when Rufus had given it to her a few years ago. It was her most treasured item besides the Psis she fought with. She was starting to feel a little drained now that she was looking back on what she had been through. So many things had been happening over the past few days.

"Lilie."

Lilie tilted her head to look over her shoulder, just to see Vincent there. She gave him a faint smile as she sat up straighter on the railing. "Yeah?"

"Cloud just called. He wants everyone to go up to the Observatory. That includes you. He wants to show you Bugenhagen's machine." Vincent said quietly. Lilie nodded as she stood up and waited for Vincent to join her side and they walked after the others. "You look tired." He said the obvious.

Lilie slowly nodded as she folded her arms. "I've been through a lot this year. More things than I've ever been through." She said quietly.  
Vincent slowly nodded. "I understand. You're not the only one though." He told her.  
Lilie only smiled with a nod. "I know. This is just a very large step for me to take." She sighed as she walked with Vincent up the stairs towards Cosmos Canyon. "Don't worry." He said quietly making her look up at him. "We're with you. So is your parents."  
That made a light click on inside Lilie's head, making her faulter but Vincent didn't seem to notice. She remembered what Aeris had said to her in the Lifestream, in the Promised Land.

"_It won't stop Meteor from falling. It will fall. But don't worry. My plan is working. Try to reassure the others that when the time comes. You'll know when to tell them that." _Lilie just frowned before she hurried after the others.

They were all together in the little room of Bugenhagen's. Lilie was looking at the odd looking man with such curiousity but she didn't say anything to him. She just kept quiet and listened to them talk about the problem, trying to come up with a solution of what might happen.

"Aeris said that she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth's Meteor." Cloud said looking around the room.

Lilie looked up with a thoughtful look. "What if she is the only one?" She asked. Everyone glanced at her, the man, Bugenhagen, was now looking at her in wonder but he didn't say anything. Tifa shook her head. "But Aeris is gone." She said sadly. Red XIII shook his head. "Is it impossible for us to carry on...what Aeris tried to accomplish?" He asked sounding tired. Barret shook his head. "We ain't no Ancients, if that's what ya mean."

Cid pushed off the wall he was leaning against. "What, did that girl go off to that place?" He asked. Lilie glanced at him in wonder. What did he mean. Cloud seemed to guess what he meant because his face lit up. "That's it!"

Cid looked at him confusion. "What's it?" He asked. Cloud shook his head. "We don't know about it. What did Aeris know? Why did she face Sephiroth without running away?" He asked. Everyone's attention perked up. Red XIII nodded. "I see...she returned there once again, correct?" He asked. Lilie was still confused. What were they talking about?

The man, Bugenhagen rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. Perhaps I'll have you take me there." He said. Red XIII looked at him in wonder. "You're going too?" He asked surprised. Bugenhagen chuckled. "What's so surprising about that? Even I want to get out from time to time and see the outside world. I wonder what did it? I haven't felt like this in ages." he said now stretching his frail and delicate arms. Red XIII turned towards him, his tail wavering back and forth. "It must be the Planet. The planet is call you!"

Cid scoffed at that. "Yeah, hoo boy, the planet calling...right." He then walked out. Everyone followed him, though Cloud stayed behind with Bugenhagen. However, he held up a hand towards Lilie. "Lilie, wait a sec."

Lilie turned back, looking at him in interest, as was Bugenhagen. "Huh? What's wrong, Cloud?" She asked. Cloud shook his head before he reached into the bag that carried the Huge Materia. "Bugenhagen. I have one more thing I want to ask you. We're carrying around Huge Materia. This is pretty delicate stuff and we would like to keep it in a safe place..." He said with a shrug. "Ho Ho Hoooo. Then we'll put it upstairs. Now shall we be on our way?" He asked. Cloud glanced over at the confused look on Lilie's face. "Yeah. But I want Lilie to see that machine of yours too."

"Hmmm. Lilie, hmm? Such a pretty name." Bugenhagen said as he looked at Lilie with interest. "Why, may I ask?"

Cloud shook his head as he turned to Bugenhagen. "Well...it's a little hard to explain. But the others and I are getting tired of fighting off Shinra all the time and Lilie happens to be a Turk and Rufus Shinra's girlfriend. If she saw your machine she could tell Rufus about the danger the Planet's in if he keeps using Mako." He told him.

That made Bugenhagen's face really light up. "Well, well, weeeell! That is an idea." He then motioned for Lilie to step forward. "Well, then, my dear. Why don't you come up with us?"  
Lilie only shrugged before she stepped onto the elevator with Cloud and Bugenhagen. They pressed the lever and it went up. Lilie literately gasped when she saw the entire solar system all around her. It was definitely the sight for her to see. She looked around in wonder at all of the stars around her, and the planets. "Oh, wow." She said softly.

Bugenhagen chuckled softly. "I see you like it. Just like the others. You see, all the workings of space are entered into this 3D hologracphic system. My own invention."

Cloud nodded with a smile as he took out the Huge Materia, which immediately started floating in mid air. "This is how we learned everything, Lil. Bugenhagen, why don't you tell her what you told us about the Mako?" He asked. The old man nodded and his demonstration kicked in. Lilie watched as the Planet came closer to where she was.

"You see, Lilie. Eventually we will die. All people die someday. But what you must ask is what happens when you do die." He shook his bald head. "The body decomposes and returns to the Planet. THat much everyone knows. But what about their consciousness, their hearts, their very souls?" He asked. Lilie shook her head as if to say she didn't know. After all, she didn't.  
"The Soul too returns to the Planet. And not only those of the humans, but everything else on this Planet. When you kill a monster, it will become apart of the Lifestream." He motioned around the room. "The spirits will join together, becomeing the Lifestream, which in other words, is a path of energy of the souls roaming around in the Planet. We call it Spirit energy. A new life, children are blessed with such things and that's how they are brought into the world. Then the time comes with they die and once again return to the Planet. Of course there are exceptions but this is the way of the world." He told her. He then motioned to some of the holographical models.  
Lilie watched in wonder as the Planet began to form little trees and humans walking around. It showed a human slowly growing up into an adult and then it dies. It made Lilie's eyes light up when she watched it turned into a ball of light and then fly to the underside of the Planet. It began grow into a new life. Then streaks of energy began to appear, swirling all around the Planet.  
"Spirit energy makes all things possible. Trees, birds, humans, even the monsters you fight. It is life. But the spirit also makes planets what they are. Planets. But if we take that spirit away..." Bugenhagen paused. Lilie then watched with horror as the Planet before her turned black and crumbled just like a cookie or a ball of dirt. "Therefore, we have the basics of the Study of the Planet Life."

Cloud slowly nodded as he folded his arms. "That spirit energy is the Mako, Lilie. Every time Shinra sucks up Mako, it's destroying life. I know that Mako is very powerful and it makes up a lot of energy for power but..." He sighed. "...it also destroys what the Planet is working so hard for. Life."

Lilie lowered her head as she took everything into thought. She didn't even notice the holographical system shutting down and they were going back down. She just stared at the ground, her face full of worry. "And that's all true?" She asked quietly. Bugenhagen nodded. "It's the story of the planets and those who live with them. If Shinra continues to use the spirit energy for power, there will be no life left."

Cloud reached over and touched Lilie's shoulder. "You have to tell Rufus all about this, what you just learned. It's the only way that he'll see why we've been fighting him the entire time. He'll listen to you, Lilie. Tell him about what happens if he keeps using the Mako."  
Lilie slowly nodded as she looked up into his eyes. "I will. I promise."  
Cloud nodded with a smile before he looked at Bugenhagen. "Let's go." He said. They all nodded and left the room, going after the others to the airship.

* * *

It didn't take long to find what they were looking for. The group of Avalanche knew exactly where they were going. And when they arrived, the all went together, leaving the crew on the airship. Lilie walked with the others, looking around with wonder. She learned from the others that they were going to the place that Aeris had died in. It made her heart sink a little but then she felt something else. She was starting to see what Aeris had meant that only she could stop Sephiroth's evilness. But she would wait just a little longer in telling the others what she learned from Aeris.

The entire group walked into a large cavern with a shrine in the middle. It just stunned Lilie when she looked around. The shrine was made out of the most beautiful blue crystalline she had ever seen. Even Bugenhagen was amazed. "This is..." He paused as he floated on his little comptraption over to the shrine while the others just followed the long way. "...yes...exactly..." He said in wonder.

Cloud looked at him in wonder. "Are you getting something?"

Bugenhagen just raises a hand. "Give me a moment." He looks around with wonder before nodding. "The knowledge of the Ancients swirling around here is tell me one thing." He said as he looked at the others. "The planet's in a crisis." He then shook his head. "A crisis beyond human power or endless time. It says when the time comes we must search for Holy."

Everyone looked confused at the word. "Holy?" Cloud asked. Lilie tilted her head. "What's Holy?" She asked. Bugenhagen shook his head. "Holy...the Ultimate White Magic. Magic that might stand against Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to save the planet from Meteor. If a soul seeking Holy reaches the planet it will appear." He said now bouncing with happiness. "Ho Ho, Hoooo!! Meteor, Weapon, everything will disappear." But then he frowned. "Perhaps, even ourselves."

Lilie didn't like the sound of that but her attention was definitely perked up. Her eyes had lit up to its widest as she let Aeris's words slowly roll around in her memory.

"Even us?!" She heard Cloud gasp.

"It is up to the Planet to decide." Bugenhagen said before he floated up higher from them. "What is best for the Planet. What is bad for the Planet. All that is bad will disappear. That is all." He then bounced in the air again. "I wonder which we humans are."

Everyone was looking around in wonder. "Search for Holy...how do we do it?" Cloud asked.

Bugenhagen lowered his arms from waving in the air. "Speak to the Planet. Get the White Materia...this will bond the Planet to the humans." He gave a nod. "Then speak to the Planet. If our wish reaches the planet, the White Materia will begin to glow a pale green."

Cloud then sighed shaking his head. "This is the end." Everyone looked at him. "Aeris had the White Materia. But when Aeris died, it fell from the altar." He said. Everyone lowered their head but Lilie slowly shook her head. She knew it was almost time to tell them. She even started to open her mouth to say but Bugenhagen pointed at the ground. "Look at this!"

Everyone looked. There was some kind of writing on the floor. But it was in a different dialect. Lilie was too confused though she was sure that she had seen it before.

"Ancients' writing." Bugenhagen revealed.

Everyone looked at him in wonder. "Can you read it?" He asked sounding hopeful. Bugenhagen shook his head. "I can't even make it out." He said. Red XIII stood up. "Grandfather, surely you can try to read them." He said. Bugenhagen shook his head. "I'm not an Ancient. I can't read this thing." He then lowered himself closer to the ground. "I may be old but my eyes aren't completely bad yet. Look closely below the writing." He said. Everyone did look closer and they saw something else. "There's something written in chalk..." Cloud said before pausing. His eyes squinted at the words. "...even sunlight can't reach...key?"

Bugenhagen shook his head. "It was probably written by a scientist who's been here. He probably used all his energy to make out these two words." he said. Lilie's eyes then lit up. She remembered something her father had once said when she was very young, though maybe too young to remember. She searched her memory anyway.

"Key? To what?" Cloud asked. Bugenhagen shook his head. I don't know. But it probably has something to do with our riddle. The riddle... then it must have something to do with Aeris." He said with wonder. Cloud bit his lip. "So this note...points to where the key is?"

"Probably...use these words as clues and go find the key..." The old man was saying.

"You don't need to. I know where it is." Lilie finally spoke up. Her eyes were wide with excitement. Everyone looked at her in confusion.  
"What? What do you mean?" Tifa asked.  
Lilie shook her head before she reached into her pocket. "I remember it all now. My father...when he was younger, he had worked with the famous scientist, Professor Gast one time. They had went up North when I was just a baby. I remember how my father told my mother all about it. He said that they had went to a beautiful place with so much knowledge of the past. They were here, in this very place. I recognize my own father's handwriting." She said bending down and touching the writing. "My father...he wrote this...

Bugenhagen looked excited now. "So! You know where this key is?" He asked with wonder.

Lilie stood up and smiled at her. "Yeah. My father said after they left the North, they went on a search for a mysterious key." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small tin box. "...when he found it, he thought it was just too precious to hand over to the Shinra scientists, that he gave it to me." She opened the box to reveal strange skeletal looking key made out of stone and crystal. "We can see if this is this strange key." She said holding it out to Bugenhagen.

"Wonderful!" He turned and looked around, then floated over to a strange box. "That music box over there. We'll put the key in it." he said before sticking into some strange hole surrounded with blue crystals. "I'll use the key." The old man said before he put the key into the hole.

Suddenly the crystals started vibrating and a stone pillar right next to it slowly sank into the ground. Everyone looked above when they heard a rumbling noise. To their astonishment, a wave of water poured into the cavern. It was unfortunate that Lilie had to be standing right under the water and she ended up soaked. Everyone else just laughed or smirked as she quickly hurried out of the way.  
"That is not funny!" She said as she tried to squeeze the water out of her suit. Everyone continued to laugh.  
After a minute, they all step through the water, into the shrine and looked around. To their shock, there was an image in the water. An image of Aeris, praying. She was kneeling in the image before she looked up with a smile. Lilie gave a choke as she watched Sephiroth fall from behind her, stabbing her in the back. Tears sprang to her eyes and she had to turn away. She felt someone touch her shoulder and she looked up to see Vincent, looking just as sorrowful. They looked back at the image just in time to see a glowing pale green orb falling from Aeris's hair. Lilie felt her gasp escape her throat.

"...It's glowing." Cloud said softly.

Bugenhagen was bouncing up and down with excitement. "It's pale green!"

Lilie slowly shook her head. "That's what she meant." She whispered.

However, everyone heard her. They looked at her as she looked up at the image with teary eyes. "What did you say, Lil?" Barret asked. Lilie slowly shook her head. "Aeris...in the Lifestream...when I fell into the Lifestream with Tifa and Cloud. She came to me...or rather she took me to her." She said softly, touching her cheeks, wiping the tears. "She said...she said that her plan was working. That you shouldn't be sad. Meteor will fall but it won't destroy the Planet." She said softly.

Cloud slowly nodded. "So Aeris...Aeris has already prayed for Holy. After I gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth. Aeris's words came to my dreams...She said she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth...and to do that, there was a secret here...That was Holy...That's why she had the White Materia. Aeris knew about here...and what she had to do." He smiled faintly towards the sky. "Aeris has left us great hope but it cost her life...her future. I'm sorry, Aeris. I should have figured this out sooner. You left us without a word...it was all so sudden so I couldn't think. That's why it took so long for me to find out...but Aeris...I understand now." He just smiled. "I'll do the rest."

Everyone faintly smiled before standing up taller. "You mean, WE..." Tifa said with a nod. Cloud turned and looked at them. "The big gift the flower girl left for us...it'd be sad if we didn't finish it." Cid said tossing an unlit death stick away. Barret nodded pumping his fist into the air. "We do this together."  
Lilie nodded. "For Aeris." She said softly before looking at Vincent, who put his hand on her shoulder. "For everyone, the Planet." He said quietly.  
Cloud nodded with a smile before he looked up and rose his hands into the air. "Thank you...Aeris." He turned and looked at the others. "Aeris's voice has already reached the Planet. Just look at the glow of the White Materia." He then frowned. "But...how about Holy? How come Holy isn't moving? Why?" He asked. B

ugenhagen shook his head. "Something's getting in its way." He told them.

Lilie frowned. "Sephiroth..." She whispered.

Everyone just frowned as she did. Cloud shook his head as he looked away with such a distant look on his face. "Him...He's the only one that could do it. Sephiroth...where are you?" They all turned and left the shrine.

They were starting to leave when Cait Sith jumped high into the air, yelling out in surprise. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. "What the?" Cloud wondered out loud. Cait Sith shook his head. "Sorry! I was a little surprised!" He was talking in whispers and it confused everyone.

Lilie stepped over to him. "Cait, what happened? What's wrong?"

Cait Sith shook his head. "You remember the Junon Cannon? How it dissappeared? Actually Rufus moved it." He said. Lilie stepped back in surprise while the others just stared wide eyed at him. "Moved it?! That big thing? Where? Why?"  
Cait Sith shook his head. "Rufus wants to destroy Sephiroth with it. That cannon operates on Huge Materia. But the Huge Materia has already been used in the Rocket plan, not to mention, we took 'em. So since the cannon's useless right now, he decided to move it. To a place where Materia...no, where Mako is gathered."  
Cloud tilted his head. "And, where is that?!" He asked in frustration.

Lilie gasped as she stepped back. "Midgar!"


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**A/N: Thank you, FaeTian, for your reviews. Sad enough, you seem to be the only one enjoying the story. --. All well. As long as someone is reading it and enjoying the story. Anyway, you may hate me for this next chapter. **

**Chapter 24:**

Far across the ocean away from them, Rufus was standing in his office, looking very stern and was explaining something to Reeve, who looked very forelorn. Reeve was listening to another crackpot idea of Scarlett's and he was already doubting what they were going to do.

"That's why, Reeve, it's your job to adjust the reactor's output." Rufus told him.  
Reeve sighed as he looked away. "...I see..." He turned away from him. He then gave Scarlett a look as she stepped closer to him. "Hah, hah, hah! Don't worry about adjusting it, Reeve." She said smacking the air with the back of her hand. She was ignoring the looks she was getting from both Reeve and Rufus. "Once you open it up all the way, everything will go full speed!" She said merrily.  
The fat General beside her nodded. "Gya hah, hah, hah! The President's sure done it this time! If we can only defeat Sephiroth, the idea that Meteor will also disappear is based on different objectives!" He laughed.

Scarlett nodded before she smiled seductively at Rufus, who gave her a very dark look for it. "Please remember, Mr. President, that it was my idea to fire Mako reactor powered shells."

Rufus glared at her before he ran his fingers through his hair. "Will the shells really reach the far Northern border?" He asked. Scarlett nodded. "Ah, hah, hah! Of course!" She then smacked the air again with her hand. "But, Rufus darling, please do not call it a Mako cannon. This new weapon will be called..." She paused before smirking. "Sister Ray!" She said merrily.  
"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" the blonde president growled at her. Scarlett frowned as she stepped back. "Oh! Sorry, Mr. President!" She said before she turned around. "I didn't mean to." She lied before leaving the room.

Rufus heard her mutter something vile about Lilie and it took a lot of effort in not shooting her in the back. He knew that he couldn't. Right at the moment, he needed her to work the Cannon. He gritted his teeth waiting for Heidigger and Reeve to leave before he looked out the window, his face falling into a sad look. "Lilie..." he whispered. He had already heard what Lilie was doing from Reno and then the reports he got from Rude while in Rocket Town. He couldn't believe that Lilie was working with Avalanche against him. Why would she do that? Of course Reno had told him what Lilie told him. And so did Rude. It had made him smile when Rude told him what Lilie said about the rough kitty. But it still saddened him to hear that Lilie was working with his enemies.

Rufus sighed softly. "She must be doing it because she has no choice." He gritted his teeth and balled up his fist. "Damn, Cloud and his crew! They'll pay for this! Turning Lilie against me!"

"Rufus, she's doing it because she knows it's the right thing."

He turned around to see Reno standing there, along with Rude and Elena. "What are you three still doing here? I thought you were going to go check the..." Rufus was saying.  
Reno shook his head. "We decided to stop by first." He frowned. "Look, Rufus. You know Lilie. She wouldn't do if she knew it was the wrong thing to do. You have to trust her."  
Rufus looked away, out the window at the darkening ocean. His eyes then slowly looked up at the white moon in the sky. "...I know. But I just...I don't want anything bad to happen to her." He said in a quiet voice. Reno's lips curved upward before he shook his head. "Don't underestimate her, Ruf. You know when you do, she always surprises the hell out of you." He shook his head again. "We're going to head down and keep an eye out for Avalanche and Lilie. But you gotta remember...Lil knows what she's doing."

Rufus didn't look at him but he nodded. He was quiet for the rest of the few minutes before the three Turks turned and left the room. He looked at the moon again. "...Lilie..."

* * *

Lilie was hurrying with the others out of Bone Village. Along the way, they all planned to go to Midgar and confront Rufus about this plan. They knew how dangerous it was to use the Mako for the attack on Sephiroth. Lilie was in a frantic mood and she knew that she had to get to Rufus before they fired that weapon. 

As they started towards the Highwind, it was at that exact moment that the ground starting to shake. "Huh?! Wh, what the?!" Cloud and the others exclaimed. The ground started shaking harder, making it harder to walk. "Hurry! Let's get into the air and get a better look!" Cid exclaimed running for the ship. Everyone hurried after him.

They hurried onto the Highwind and into the cockpit where lights were just flashing bright red and there was a shrill alarm going off. "What's wrong?!" Cid demanded as he hurried to the trainee pilot. "It's a strange signal, sir!"

There was more flashes of light.

Everyone was looking around. "From where?!" The grumpy pilot demanded. The trainee pilot turns and points towards Cait Sith. "It's coming from this...person?" he said in confusion. Lilie hurried towards Cait Sith. "Cait! What are you doing?!"  
Cait Sith raises his arms before hopping over to the middle of the room and spins in a circle. "Wow!" He did it again. "Hey!" He then looked at everyone. "That was a surprise, the controls went crazy. This ain't good!" He said sounding worried. "Weapon came out of the sea and is heading straight for Midgar!"

Lilie clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no!"

Cloud shook his head. "The new weapon should stop him, right?" He asked, concerned. Cait Sith shook his head. "I don't know if it's ready or not." He said sounding even more worried. Barret then hurried forward. "Hey! What's gonna happen to Marlene?!" He demanded. Cait Sith shrugged. "Doncha worry none. Marlene's in a safe place. She's with Aeris's mama." he tried to reassure him.  
Barret scratched his head, still looking worried before turning away. Cait Sith seemed to see right past that look. "Barret!!" He hopped off the giant mog and waddled over to the big black man. "What was that scratching just now?! As long as Marlene is safe, who cares what else happens, right?" He then sighed and slowly walked back to his giant counterpart. "I been itchin' to say this to ya fer a while now." He said hopping back onto the mog. His face now looking stern. "When ya blew the Midgar No 1 up, how many folks d'ya think died?"

Barret looked just a little ashamed but he growled at the cat anyway. "...that was for the life of the planet. Ya gotta expect a few casualties." He said. Lilie frowned at him. "Barret!!" She said, putting her hands on her waist. Barret ignored her.  
Cait Sith just waved his arms above his head wildly. "A few?! Whaddya mean a few?! What may be a few to ya'll is everything to them who died!" He exclaimed before turning away. "Protect the planet. Hah! Y'all sure sound good! Ain't no one that'd go against ya. So ya think ya can do whatever ya'll want?" He asked, in a very moody way.

Barret spun around looking outraged. "I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra..." He growled. Cait Sith sighed, his head lowered. "...nuthin' I can do 'bout that..."

Lilie frowned as she started forward. "Well, you're going to hear anyway, Barret! I can not believe you just said what you did! Maybe that was what President Shinra said when he had his men destroy Corel!" She glared right back at Barret when he turned a very nasty look on her. He started to open his mouth to argue with her but both Cloud and Vincent stepped into the way.

"Stop it!!" Cloud demanded.

Vincent nodded. "That is enough. Arguing at this moment is not going to help."

Tifa frowned, looking between Cait Sith and Barret then at Lilie. "Lilie, that was just a little cold on what you just said." But then she looked at Cait Sith. "Cait Sith...Barret, he knows what he did. What we did in Midgar can't be forgotten no matter what the reason." She said in such a sad way. "Right? We haven't forgotten right?" She asked, looking at Barret, who didn't say anything. Tifa turned back to Cait Sith. "I know you. You can't quit the company because you're worried about the people in Midgar, right?" She earned a nod from the cat but then she looked at Lilie. "That goes for you too. You joined Turks, not to protect the company. But to protect the people, right?" She asked. Lilie slowly nodded. "Yes. I did." She murmured. Tifa then looked at Cloud. "Cloud?" She asked softly.

Cloud was silent for a minute before he nodded. "OK! Let's go! We'll beat Weapon ourselves!"

Cid folded his arms. "Hey, Cloud...You think we can win against that monster? We got a chance of winnin', right?"

Cloud shrugged. "How would I know? But that's no reason for us to just let him go! We're goin' to Midgar and fight Weapon! Come on! And we're doing it together! No matter what happens." he then looked at Barret then over at Cait Sith. "No matter who it's with. With Shinra employees or not! We are not letting that monster hurt those people in Midgar. There are children in that city and we are not going to let them die!" He said. Everyone nodded their agreements and immediately started to prepare their weapons.

Lilie, however, felt ashamed of what she had just said to Barret. She bit her lip before moving over to him. "Barret...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I..."

Barret waved his big hand towards her, while loading up his gunarm. "Don' ya be apologizin', Lil. I know why ya did." He then looked at her, giving her a faint smile. "I shouldn' have said it either." He looked over at Cait Sith, who was eyeing him from across the room. "...'M sorry to both of ya."

The cat smiled back and nodded. "Thank you, Barret." He said before he hopped over to Lilie and the cat jumped up into her arms, giving her a hug, who laughed softly as she held the cat. "An' ya know. Rufus is lucky to have a girl like ya, Lil. That's me sayin' it and not the maker." He said being careful in not revealing Reeve's name. Everyone who was listening just nodded. "He's gotta point. That little jackass better take care o' ya when this's all over or I'm gonna pound his ass." Cid said. Lilie laughed shaking her head.

The airship quickly flew over to the Midgar area and landed near the beach where the Weapon was going to meet them. Lilie stood next to the others, her hands tightly clutching her Psis as it was approaching. She had to crane her neck just to look at the thing's face. It was huge, at least the same height of the Shinra Headquarters.

Finally it reached them and everyone charged as one. Everyone began throwing attacks at it as hard and fast as they could. Lilie began to spin in circle's slashing the Weapon's legs along with Cloud, Cid and Red XIII. Vincent and Barret were taking off shots towards the head, aiming for the red eyes. Tifa was pounding her fists against the bony structure of the Weapon, sending chips flying. It was amazing how this thing was even alive. Cait Sith was throwing massive spells at it.

Suddenly the Weapon gave a loud roar before it opened up its chest and shot a beam of light at them. Everyone barely had time to move. Lilie fell onto the ground as the attack whizzed by her, incinerating grass and trees behind them.

"Oh sh-----it!" Cid exclaimed.

Cloud gritted his teeth before he leapt high into the air. "Attack the head! Maybe it'll kill faster! Vincent, Barret! Aim for the chest!" He called as he landed on the Weapon's arm and began slashing everywhere. Everyone nodded and began to attack the Weapon, jumping high into the air and making their attacks. Lilie gritted her teeth before looking up at Vincent. "Hey, Vince! I can't just as high as Cloud can! Mind giving me a leg up?!"  
The Ex-Turk smirked as he held out his golden arm for Lilie to step up on. Lilie nodded as she put both of her Psis into one hand and used the other to steady herself as she quickly stepped up on Vincent's golden claws. With only a grunt of effort, Vincent threw her into the air towards Weapon. Lilie kicked off his arm as he threw her, making her fly higher. She reached out towards Tifa who was pounding at Weapon's head.

"Tifa!" Lilie called to her.

The martial turned sharply around before she spotted Lilie flying towards her. She quickly held out her hand and grabbed Lilie's pulling her up beside her. "Let's have some fun!" She said as she helped her steady herself. Lilie nodded and began to slash at the Weapon's eyes. The Weapon finally let out a roar of annoyance before tossing its body around, knocking them all off it. Everyone landed on their feet or went down to their knees as they watched the Weapon suddenly turn away from them, looking back towards the sea. Everyone just stood where they were.

"What's wrong? Are you still looking for something?" Tifa asked it, though everyone knew it wouldn't answer. Cloud shook his head. "No, it's...feeling something. Yeah...it senses murder." He told them. They watch the Weapon lumbering its way towards the ocean, its eyes aimed towards the North.

"To my ship!" Cid barked as he turned and rushed away. The others followed quickly but then Cait Sith gasped. "Oh no! Let's hurry out of here! Something big...I'm talkin' REALLY BIG"s comin'!!" He yelled as he picked up his pace. Everyone did the same. They quickly boared and stood on the deck while the ship took to the air.

* * *

Back in the Headquarters, Rufus was staring out the window at the Weapon. He had watched the fight that Avalanche had fought with it. He was hoping that Lilie might have been there, and was safe. He faintly smiled to think of her fighting that monster. 'She was always so brave. I wouldn't be surprised.' He thought to himself. He then tilted his head as he heard Heidigger's voice coming from the intercomm. 

_"Hah, hah, ha, Mr. President, preparations for Sister Ray are now in order." _Heidigger told him.

_"Hah, hah, hah! Anytime is fine." _Scarlett spoke up.

Rufus slowly nodded as he looked back out the window. He was quiet for a few seconds as he glanced at a picture of Lilie on the corner of his desk. "Lilie...this is for you..." He whispered before turning back to the window. "Fire." came his order.

Outside, all around the Headquarters, each Mako Reactor began to glow brightly with Mako energy just flaring right out from the tops of eac hole. Mako energy began to flow through large tubes towards the Sister Ray cannon, which started to glow at the barrel. A brightly colored halo surrounded the barrel and sparked with the Mako energy. The lights of the city below began to slowly go out as the Mako was preparing on firing. It slowly goes pitch black and then there was a loud rumble. The rumble soon turned into a very loud blast making glass shatter from every window and rubble flew off the headquarters. The brightly blast of Mako at the cannon's barrel blasted through the air, flying at top speed towards the Weapon's back.

Inside his office, Rufus lift up his head, looking almost proud. "Checkmate and game." He muttered before he flips his bangs out of his eyes.

* * *

From the airship everyone was watching as the blast came very close to hitting them before it flew right on by. Everyone jerked around and saw the Weapon slowly turning around as if it could sense the attack coming towards it. The bony plates of armor on its body started to stretch out and several bright masses of energy shot out of its body, shooting right back at the Mako blast coming back at it. Lilie's eyes widened as she watch the Weapon's blasts soar right through the Mako blast. 

"Which direction is it going to attack from?" Tifa asked with horror. Red XIII threw his head back and roared, "Midgar!"

Everyone ran to the railing and looked down at the Weapon, the airship starting to circle from above. The blast from the Sister Ray shot right into the Weapon's chest, throwing its large body back. Everyone watched in horror as the blast cut right through the Weapon's chest, making fire fly out from its chest. There was a large hole torn right through the Weapon's chest as it crashed to the ground with a loud bang and the ground shook. The sound waves from the ground made the airship rumble just a little but they were safe enough in the air. The Weapon had been destroyed.

"Damn..." Barret hissed shaking his head.

"It went right through Weapon..." Red XIII muttered. Cloud then gave a loud gasp as he shook his head. "I see! They're after Sephiroth! The crater on the Northern boundary!!" He yelled pointing. Everyone looked just in time to see the Mako blast fly over the icy mountains, sending a few loose trees flying as it flew over them. Then the blast slammed right into the barrier surrounding the crater. There was a loud bang and the barrier slowly dissipated. They could see energy fly away as if it had been water from a hose striking a tree stump.

Everyone was astonished but Lilie wasn't looking at the crater anymore. She was looking with horror towards Midgar. "NO!" She screamed. Everyone jerked around and looked towards the city, their eyes widening. "Oh no..." Tifa gasped as she saw the Weapon's many balls of energy flying towards the city.

* * *

Inside Rufus's office, he was still standing there, watching the Sister Ray's blast destroy the Barrier around the Northern Crater. His blue eyes narrowed, waiting for the report. His chin digging into his neck. Had it worked? There was a possibility that it hadn't. At least it had stopped the Weapon in its tracks. 

_"Sir! Weapon's been defeated! And the barrier has disappeared!" _He heard the operater report.

Rufus slowly nodded as he turned around and walked towards his desk. He faintly smiled as he looked up at the cieling. "Go get 'em, Lilie." He whispered.

_"Sir!! A mass of high-density energy is heading towards Midgar!!" _

Rufus's eyes widened before he jerked around and looked out the broken windows. He could see the bright energy flying towards him. "No..." He whispered. He stood taller, glaring at the energy as it began to pound into the City. He lowered his head a little, his teeth clenched tightly.  
'No! This isn't fair! I can't die! I'm suppose to live my life with Lilie after she helps Avalanche destroy Sephiroth!' He thought quickly. His eyes light up as he watched one blast of energy flying towards his office. "Lilie...I love you." He whispered before he doubled over, wrapping his arms around his own chest as the energy hit his office. He was thrown back as the flames of the attack consumed his office.

* * *

Far from there, on the airship, Lilie watched in horror as the top of the Shinra Inc. Headquarters exploded into a ball of flames. A mushroom cloud full of smoke and flames flew up into the sky. She felt her heart start cracking right there. She knew Rufus had been in his office during the attack. Where else would he have been? It was like how she always told him. Always stay in his office when there was danger.  
Lilie felt her knees suddenly give out as tears flooded her eyes. "NO!" She screamed before she fell to her knees and curled up on the ground. "No! Gods, no! Rufus!" She screamed into the ground. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes and shock. Vincent was the only one to recover fast enough. He rushed over to Lilie's side, bending down to one knee and trying to pick her up. Lilie burst into tears right there before trying to jerk away from Vincent, who refused to let her go.  
So, feeling defeated, she buried her face into his chest and sobbed harder than she ever did. She shook her head and gently beat her fists against Vincent's chest, though he did nothing to stop her. He just let her do it, his arms wrapped around her to try and comfort her. 

Cloud turned to Cait Sith who was staring towards the office with wide eyes. "Ca-Cait Sith...where was Rufus?" He asked weakly already knowing the answer.

Cait Sith looked at him before lowering his head. "He...he was in his office. At the top of the Headquarters. He's...I don't know if he's dead though! I'll try and find out, Lilie! I swear! He's alive!" He said trying to reassure her.  
But Lilie kept her head lowered as she let the tears roll down her face. "Rufus...no." She whispered in pain.  
Vincent stayed by her side as Cloud turned towards the door. "Come on. Let's go find out what happened to Sephiroth. Cait, you try to find out what happened to Rufus." he told him. Everyone hurried inside, though Vincent had a little trouble trying to get Lilie to walk on her own.

On the bridge, Lilie sank down to her knees in a corner and stared off. She could almost feel the cracks in her heart, slowly shattering her heart. She was in pain, almost exactly like what she felt when she first lost her parents. Now she had lost Rufus.  
"What happened to...Sephiroth?" She heard Cloud say.  
She didn't look up from the ground. She could see Vincent standing by her side, not moving one inch. He was going to stay by her every second if he had to. "Northern Cave...let's go see what happened to it." Cloud spoke up. Everyone quietly nodded, some looking towards Lilie. Tifa was watching her with pain as was everyone else. Yuffie had leaned against the wall, looking away. She didn't want anyone to see the tears in her eyes.

The airship flew over to where the Northern Continent was standing. The barrier around the mountain had completely disappeared. "Sephiroth's energy barrier is gone..." Cloud muttered before he looked over at Cid. "Cid! Can the airship get inside?" He asked. Cid nodded. "He's my student, aint he? Of course he can go anywhere." He said. Cloud nodded. "Right, sorry about that."

Barret then turned to Cait Sith, who was looking at Lilie while muttering to himself. "Yo, Cait Sith! Now what?!"

The cat looked at him alarmed but then he turned away. "Hold it!" He hopped away from everyone but he knew they would hear him say it anyway. "Scarlett Heidigger! What's going on?"

* * *

Inside the Headquarters, Reeve was keeping his control hidden in his hand as he turned towards the two laughing maniacs. The woman in red was looking out the window while Heidigger was trying hard to get in contact with Rufus. "Strange. I can't reach the President." The fat General said sounding very clueless. Reeve looked a little pained to hear that but he shook his head. "Not the president. To Sister Ray!" He said, his voice slightly crossed with the one he was using for Cait Sith. 

The two gave him an odd look. "What is it, Reeve? You're speaking strangely."

Reeve cleared his throat, wincing a little that she had used his name. He only hoped that Cloud and his crew hadn't heard that. He shook his head. "None of that matters!" He snapped. "The Reactor's output is increasing all by itself!!"

Scarlett looked alarmed. "Ww, wait a minute! That's not wise! It must be cool for 3 hours or it won't work! Reeve, shut off the machine!" She screeched. Reeve shook his head as he looked at the controls for the cannon. "We can't do that! It's inoperable!!" He quickly grabbed a portable phone and held it up to his ear.

_"Someone has switched the machine over to mainframe operation! We can't operate it from here." _An officer reported to him.  
Reeve jerked around looking at Heidigger. "What about the mainframe? Who?!" He pointed at the fat man. "Hey, call the mainframe!" He ordered. Heidigger nodded before he picked up the phone, then halted. He gave Reeve a look as he put it back down. "Huh? Why are you giving orders?" He asked suspiciously. Reeve gritted his teeth with rage at the fat man. "I don't give a damn about the details!" He snapped before he grabbed the phone and made the call since Heidigger wasn't going to do it. Over the phone, he could hear someone laughing wickedly.

_"Hahaha! Just you wait, Sephiroth. I'll give you all the Mako you want." _He heard Hojo's voice.

"Hojo, Stop! The cannon, no, Midgar itself is in danger!!" Reeve yelled into the phone.

_"Hahaha...One or two Midgars? It's a small price to pay." _He heard Hojo say.

"Hojo! HOJO!!" Reeve yelled. He heard Hojo just chuckling wickedly.

_"Show me...Sephiroth. It should be near. Ha, ha, ha...Go beyond the powers of science. Before your presence, science is powerless. I hate it but I'll concede to it. Just let me see it..."_ Hojo muttered insanely.

Reeve sighed with frustration as the call was cut off. "Damn it!" He turned back to his controls for Cait Sith, knowing that Avalanche and Lilie had heard the entire thing.

* * *

On the airship, Barret was jumping and down with rage, his arms swinging above his head. Lilie was looking on with horror. She knew that she couldn't grieve about Rufus right now. The entire city was in trouble. Grieving for her beloved would have to wait. She forced herself to stand, with Vincent's help. 

"YO! Do somethin'! Ya big cat!!" Barret roared.

Cait Sith slumped over as he hopped over to Barret. "We're sunk. Hojo's doing this on his own..." He then looked very alarmed as it wasn't his voice that came from the cat's mouth. It was Reeve's. Lilie winced heavily knowing that he was caught. The cat quickly turned around. "I don't like this..." he said as if he was looking at something else.

Barret stomped his foot at the cat. "You're busted, Reeve!" He snapped.

The cat jerked around, waving his arms above his head. "Too late tryin' to hide it now!" He said with Reeve's voice.

Cloud shook his head as he walked closer to him. "Can't you stop the Mako Reactor?" He asked. Everyone stepped closer. Cait Sith sighed, shaking his head. "...we can't stop it."  
"You're from Shinra, ain't ya? So why's it impossible?"Cid asked in a grumpy way. Cait Sith turned away and Cid shook his head. "We came a long way to get here. You better not double-cross us now!" He barked.

"I can't make you trust me..."

Cid began throwing a tantrum. "You damn fool! Don't you understand anything I'm saying?! I don't give a damn about Shinra. If you're a man...no, if you're a human being, you'll save the Planet!! Don't you even care?!" He exclaimed. Lilie hurried over to Cait Sith, putting her hands on the Mog's back, defensively. "He can't do it, Cid! Can't you see that?" She asked seriously. The cat shook his head as he wrapped his paws around Lilie's arm. "No way! If we shut down the reactor, all hell will break loose." he told the pilot.

"Why? Can't you just shut off the valve?" Cid asked.

Cait Sith nodded. "Yeah, it's easy to shut off the reactor's pipe valves...but the reactor made a path fro the energy to escape from below. Once you open that, it'll be impossible to close it until everything blasts out...and we can't try to stop the energy from gushing out..." He said. Barret stepped back in alarm. "An explosion!!" He gasped. Cait Sith nodded. "This blast'll be way stronger than when the number one reactor blew up."

Barret winced as he turned away. "Damn...!" He exclaimed.

The cat shook his head. "Forget about that!! The cannon!! We've got to get to Midgar! That's the first thing!"

Cloud nodded as he looked at Cid, who was already making the orders to the pilot. "Must stop Hojo...first."

Cait Sith turned away and Lilie could hear Reeve speaking to Scarlett and Heidigger. By the sounds of things, things were not looking his way at all.

_"Hey! Wait!!" _Reeve yelled but then Cait Sith turned around looking helplessly up at her. She was understanding the look that the cat was giving her. "Cloud, everybody! Sorry. But! But you'll come, won't you?" He asked sounding very hopeless. Cloud walked over placed his hand on the cat's small shoulder before nodding. "I know." He looked around at everyone who all nodded.

Cid threw his fist up into the air. "Hey!" He barked at one of the pilots. "I'm leaving the ship in your hands! I'm heading for Midgar!"


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**Chapter 25:**

The airship was far above Midgar and everyone was looking down at the city. Lilie's eyes were on the top of the headquarters though. She could still smoke pouring out from the top and water was slowly pouring out of the windows. She was feeling a dull ache inside her, knowing that it was her heart breaking. She couldn't believe that Rufus was now gone. He had been ripped from her life just like her parents. The people she had ever loved were dead.

"Lilie, are you going to be okay?" Yuffie asked as the girl put her on Lilie's arm.

Lilie only glanced at her, looking more inhuman as she refused to smile. "Eventually. But not for a long time, Yuffie." She sighed as she lowered her head and turned away. She could sense everyone's eyes on her now. "Everyone I've ever loved has died. I lost Sephiroth...my parents." She said painfully, her voice weakening. "And now I lost Rufus." She closed her eyes tightly. "Now I'm truely alone."  
Tifa walked over, and wrapped her arms around the young heartbroken Turk. "Lilie, you'll never be alone." She told her softly. Lilie met her deep wine colored eyes. "You'll always have us." Tifa finished looking around at everyone. Everyone all nodded as they gave Lilie their sympathies. "No matter what." Cloud added. Lilie forced a smile before they all turned to one of the pilots. "We've reached Midgar!" He said saluting them.

Barret frowned. "Even if we get there, Midgar's under martial law! There'll be no way we could slip into the slums." he said. Tifa slowly nodded as she let go of Lilie. "Looks like all transportation from the slums is cut off." She said weakly. Cid snorted as he took out a death stick and put it into his mouth. "Hey, hey, whaddya think we have the Highwind for? Where are we now?!" He asked. Everyone looked around. "Huh? Where are we?" Barret asked in confusion. Lilie frowned. "We're in the air." She said dully. Cid nodded towards her. "If land's no go...we'll go by air!!"

Cloud nodded. "Okay then! We'll parachute into Midgar!!" he said before he turned and rush towards the door. Everyone ran after him, including Lilie.

"Lil, ya sure ya want to come?!" Cid asked as he ran alongside her. "Ya can stay on the airship for awhile, ya know!"

Lilie shook her head as she took a parachute from a crewman and followed everyone out onto the deck. "I'm a Turk, Cid. I don't run away from anything! Even if I just lost everything. I can still gain more!" she said as she pulled it on.  
Everyone smirked as they readied theirselves. "Now I can see why you're a Turk." Cloud said as he moved over to the railing, turning to look at her. "You're not afraid to try." He then looked at everyone. "Here we go!!" He said before he turned and jumped right over the railing.  
Everyone followed, though Lilie and Vincent were last to leave. The Ex-Turk turned to Lilie before she could start going. "Lilie! After we destroy Hojo, there is something very important I must tell you!" He told her. Lilie frowned at him. "What is it?"  
Vincent shook his head as he started to rush to the railing. He jumped up on it, spinning around as he started jump. "Later! Not right now!" And then he was over.  
Lilie nodded as she ran over, jumping up on the railing and dived right off the airship. Everyone fell together, towards the city. Lilie kept her arms tightly close to her body so that she fell at a very fast speed. She was practically in front of everyone and now they were doing it too. After they were close enough to the ground, they pulled their chutes and slowly drifted to the ground.

Once safely on the rubble covered streets, everyone quickly was rid of their parachutes and rushed over to an alley near by. Cait Sith had already told them that it would be best if they went underground since Heidigger was searching for them. Fighting Heidigger wasn't going to a problem, Lilie knew because he hardly ever trained himself. He always had a toy to play with when it came to fighting.

The only question was, what toy did he have this time?

"This is where we go in!" Cait Sith as he threw open a storm door. "Please! Hurry and come to the Mako Cannon!" He begged. Cloud nodded and everyone hurried down into the tunnels below the streets. Lilie ran after Cloud, along with everyone else, trying to figure out which way to go. They eventunally found their way into the subway beneath the city when suddenly...

"Oh no! They're here!"

Everyone turned around just in time to see Reno, Rude and Elena walking up. The blonde Turk was looking stunned to see Lilie with Avalanche but she shook her head as she looked at Reno. "What are we going to do?! I think it's okay for you to ignore your orders now." She said with stern way. Reno rolled his eyes as he stepped closer. "Elena, don't act so weak."  
Rude nodded as he stepped closer. "We're Turks, Elena." He muttered. Elena shook her head as she slightly relaxed. "Yes, sir. You're right. " She said. Rude shook his head again. "Come on. We've got work to do."

Reno looked at Lilie, who was looking back. It was obvious he really didn't want to fight her. "I'm not really up for it but..." He was saying but Elena cut him off. "Our orders were to seek you out and...kill." She interrupted. "Our company may be in turmoil but an order's an order. That's the will and spirit of the Turks! Believe it!"

Lilie folded her arms as she stepped forward. "I don't suppose you're going to tell us who ordered you to kill Cloud and his friends, hm?"

Reno slowly shook his head, a pained look spread out on his face. "Heidigger and Scarlett, of course. Rufus would have never ordered me to kill you either, Lilie." He said. Lilie blinked in surprise. Rude nodded solemnly. "You're with them, Lilie. That means we have to kill you too." He said very quietly as he scratched his head. Lilie gave them a sad smile. "Then you better follow your orders. I guess we'll have to fight. I never would have thought I'd have to fight my friends." She said as she grabbed her Psis, a very pained look. "I've already lost Rufus, guys. Please don't make me have to fight you just to get Hojo."

Reno and Rude glanced at each other, looking very hesitant. Neither one wanted to fight Lilie at all. Elena looked just as hesitant. She knew how much Tseng meant to this girl too. He had treated her with such respect when she hadn't.

"No. Let's not fight them." Cloud then spoke up.

Lilie turned around looking at him in surprise. The others all nodded as they refused to pick up their weapons. Elena stepped back with surprise. "You're showing pity?! Don't take the Turks for fools!" She said starting to get into a fighting stance.

Reno shook his head. "Wait, Elena."

Elena spun around looking surprised that he was going to ignore his orders. "Reno! You're not violating the order...are you?!" She gasped.  
Reno shook his head. "Shinra's finished. It's come down to this." He then pulled a face. "Besides, I don't take orders from a fat horse laughing cow like Heidigger." He glanced over at Lilie. "And I certainly don't turn my back on my best friend. The girl who's like my sister." He said with a smile. Lilie smiled back, as did the group of Avalanche. By the looks of it, Lilie had not lost everyone.  
Elena looked over at Rude then back at Reno. "Rude..." She whinned.  
Reno shook his head as he stepped over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Elena, you were a great Turk." He said with a shrug before he looked over at Cloud, giving him a wave. "Farewell. If we both survive...if we can save our lives." He turned to walk away but stopped. He turned back and looked at Lilie. "Take care of yourself, Lil. Hope to see ya soon after this." He said with a nod.

Lilie nodded as she stood taller. "Catch ya later then, Reno." She looked at Rude and smirked. "Still wearing those sunglasses, huh? How can you ever see through them in these tunnels? It's dark enough." She teased. Rude smirked and shook his head. Reno looked over at Cloud again. "You make sure she stays alive, Cloud. Because if she gets killed because she's helping you, she won't be around to stop me from killing ya." He then turned and walked away.

Elena stood taller, her arms folded behind her back. "Remember the spirit of the Turks!" She said before she waved at them and ran after Reno. Rude just stood there facing them before he brushed dust off his shoulder and turned away. "Our mission's finished..." And he slowly walked away.

Everyone looked at Lilie who was watching them before she turned back and faced them. Cloud smiled. "Vincent's right, Lilie, he really does care for ya, Reno." He said. Lilie nodded. "He's like my brother. So is Rude." She frowned. "And so is Reeve." She shook her head. "You guys go ahead and stop Hojo. I've got to help Reeve. Knowing Scarlett she probably ordered those soldiers that's guard him to kill him."

Cait Sith bounched up and down on the Mog. "It's okay, Lil. Reeve's gonna be fine! Really!" He then paused and his eyes lit up. "Uh-oh!" He shook his head. "Um...I think Lilie might be right on this. Those soldiers are giving me a dirty look." Reeve's voice came out from Cait Sith.

Lilie frowned as she looked at the group of Avalanche. "Go stop Hojo. I'll help Reeve."

Cloud nodded as he turned with the others. "All right! When that's done, we'll meet up with you later!" He called as he and the others ran off. Lilie waved after him before she turned and ran the other direction.

Lilie was running as fast as she could go, trying to find a way back up into the upper part of the city. She eventually found a ladder that went up and she took it. She climbed up to the top as fast as she could go, coming to the streets of the number one slumbs. She only nodded as she rushed towards another ladder that she knew that would take her up to the headquarters.  
When she finally reached the Headquarters, she ran through the doors and straight to the stairs. She ended up skipping a few stairs as she went. She rushed up to the floor where she knew the conference room was. She was almost there when she heard a crash within the room. She gasped and bolted towards the door. She threw the doors open and entered the conference room where she saw Reeve throwing a plant at the two guards that were now after him.

"Damn! Get away from me!" He exclaimed. But the guards rushed forward. "Hand over that controller of yours!" One ordered.

Lilie clenched her teeth before she jumped up on the table and rushed over to the guards. They turned sharply only to get a fist right in the face and the other got a foot. The two guards went sailing back, right through the window.

"Lilie! Thank god you're here!" Reeve said as Lilie jumped off the table. "Those guards were trying to take Cait Sith's controller to bust it."

Lilie shook her head as she grabbed Reeve's arm and pulled him towards the door. "Reeve! We've got to help Avalanche! How much time do they have before Hojo fires the cannon?" she asked. Reeve shook his head as he grabbed the portable phone of his and made the call. After a second, he looked at her. "The cannon's at 76 percent! They have to hurry and stop him now! But what can we do?" He asked. Lilie smirked as she thought of something. "We can close the valves."

"Lilie! We can't do that! It'll only..." Reeve was saying.

Lilie shook her head. "We can with only two or three valves, Reeve. It will only slow down Hojo's process. The other valves will have to try and pump out more and more energy and to do that, they will have to suck the energy out of the closed valves. It will slow down the process, buying Cloud and the others time to get after Hojo." She said. Reeve rubbed his goatee before slowly nodding his head. "You know, that might actually work!" He turned and rushed towards the stairs with Lilie behind him.

The two of them hurried down to the control room for the cannon where workers were frantically trying to shut the cannon down. "Everyone! Get out of here! We'll take care of this!" Reeve ordered. Everyone in the room quickly began leaving the room. Lilie rushed over to the control panel and began pressing buttons. Her teeth clenched tightly as she looked at the percentage of the energy. It had hit 80 percent. "We're running out of time! Hojo'll be able to shoot the cannon when it's at 90 percent." Reeve said as he sank down in the chair beside Lilie's. Lilie shook her head as she began flipping switches and pressing buttons. "Not if I can help it!" She said before she slowly began to close a few valves. Immediately the percentage started to slow down. She smirked to herself. "That's all we need."

Suddenly a red light began to blink. Reeve gave a sharp intake of breath. "Damn it! Lilie! The energy is building up in the closed valves! If the pressure gets too high then..."

Lilie shook her head as she began to search her brain as fast as she could. She was trying to remember what her father said about the Mako Reactors. She bit her lip before her eyes lit up. "Return the power!" she gasped. Reeve looked at her. "What?! Return the power? Return it where?!"

"To the Planet! Drain the valves right back into the earth!"

Reeve gave her a look. "Lilie! We can't do that! That's like polluting the Planet!"  
Lilie smirked at him as she stood up and hurried to another part of the control panel. "Not if they go through the Mako Sterilizing Compressers! Isn't that where you usually..."

Reeve's eyes lit up and a smile spread out on his face. "That's where we recycle the extra energy that we don't need! We haven't used those for a while though! Are you sure that it'll work?" He asked as he hurried over to help her start pushing switches.  
Lilie nodded. "My father tried it once when no one was looking. He just wanted to see if the machine actually worked!"  
"Lilie! You are a genius! You should have been a scientist instead!" Reeve said with a grin. Lilie smirked at him. "What's the fun in being a scientist? You don't get to kick bad guy ass!" She said before she flipped the toggle switch.  
Immediately alarms began to go off, making Reeve look worried now. "Lilie, are you sure it's working?" He said. Lilie nodded as she stood back, placing her hands on her waist. "Yeah! It's working! Those alarms are just to let everyone know that machine is kicking on. That means to get away from the machines for maintendence guys."

The two looked at the percentage scale and then smirked when they watched it starting to drop. "Ouch. Hojo is going to be pissed." Reeve said as he took out Cait Sith's controls and looked at the screen. He pulled a face. "Wow. Hojo's really gone uglier."

Lilie looked to see Cloud, Vincent and Red XIII fighting Hojo, or at least they thought it was Hojo. He had turned into some kind of monster that was beyond ugly. Eventually he was glancing at the controls to see what the percentage. And that was when he got really mad to see that it was now falling.

_"What?! What is wrong with this stupid thing?!!" _They heard him exclaim before he turned back and went back to fighting the three.  
Lilie smirked as she reached for the controls. "May I, Reeve? Someone's got to piss him off even more."  
Reeve chuckled as he handed the controls to her. "Be my guest." He said. Lilie took the controls and flipped the switch to speak through Cait Sith. "Hello, Hojo!" She watched as everyone looked over at Cait Sith. Hojo was astonished but then he snarled. "Don't you hate it when someone always burst your bubble? Or messes with your stupid ideas?" Lilie spoke.

_"Who is that?! What did you do?!" _Hojo snarled.

Lilie smirked as she flipped her bangs out of her eyes. "It's Lilie Moy, Hojo, Dr. Moy's daughter and the Turk you really despise because she was Sephiroth's young friend. As for what I did, there's an interesting little machine up here that's connected to the valves. It's called recycling energy. Maybe you've heard of it. Of course you have. Professor Gast was the one who built it!" She saw the group of Avalanche all smirking and some were cheering.

_"Good job, Lil!!" _She heard Cid call to her.

Lilie only smirked as she made Cait Sith bow to him. "Thank you, Cid. Now, Cloud, Vincent, kill that bastard!" And she returned Cait Sith's controls to Reeve, who was smirking. "You really know how to show off. You know that."  
Lilie only nodded before realization kicked in. There was still the search for Rufus's body she needed to do. She looked at Reeve with a worried look. "What about Rufus? Has anyone seen him?"

Reeve frowned before he sighed and shook his head. "No. Some guards went up to see if they could find his remains in the office but there was nothing. Nothing but fire and smoke. The energy blast must have..." He paused sounding pained. "It must have incinerated his body. I'm sorry, Lilie."  
Lilie lowered her head and her eyes closed. She reached up and gently touched the necklace around her neck. "Yeah. So am I." She whispered. "So am I."


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**A/N: Hey, everyone. Thanks for the reviews and sorry for taking a little while to updating. I've been awfully busy lately. Anyway, in this chapter, a lot of things happen. You will find out exactly how Vincent knows Lilie's mother, and what his relations are to her. So I will give you fair warning, I just liked the connection that I came up with, even if some might not. Also, the Fall of Meteor and the fight against Sephiroth.

* * *

****Chapter 26:**

Everyone was standing on the bridge of the Highwind now. They all were looking out the window towards the remains of the Shinra Headquarters. Lilie was standing by herself, her arms wrapped around her body as she stared at the ground. Cloud and the others had managed to destroy Hojo and now the city was safe again. Though there wasn't much of a city anymore. She had heard people were already starting to leave Midgar, in search of new homes. Though some were staying behind. Reeve stayed behind to help those people. He even had asked Lilie to stay with him to help but she decided to return to the Highwind for now. She was slowly thinking about what to do.

"Meteor's gonna fall in about..." Cloud paused and looked at the others. Red XIII nodded. "Seven more days. That's what Grandfather said."

Cloud turned towards him, giving him a faint smile. "Red XIII...you want to see everyone in Cosmos Canyon again?"

The lion creature looked at him before he slowly nodded. "...yes."

Cloud then turned to Barret. "You want to see Marlene, right?" He asked. Barret turned back to him looking pained. "Don't ask me that." Cloud just shook his head. "We'll beat Sephiroth. Then, if we don't release the power of Holy in seven days..." He paused. "There won't be a planet left to protect." He then shrugged. "If we can't beat Sephiroth...it's as good as death for us. We'll just go a few days sooner than the rest who'll die from Meteor." He said lowering his head.

Barret turned away before looking back at him. "Don't be thinkin' you're gonna lose before ya even fight!" He told him.

Cloud looked at him and shook his head. "No! What I meant was..." He turned away from the others before looking back at him. "What are we all fighting for? I want us to all understand that. Save the planet...for the future of the planet...sure, that's all fine. But really, is that really how it is?" He walked forward towards the middle of the circle of friends.  
"For me, this is a personal feud. I want to beat Sephiroth and settle my past. Saving the planet just happens to be apart of that. I've been thinking." He said thoughtfully before he nodded. "I think we all are fighting for ourselves. For ourselves...and that someone...something...whatever it is, that's important to us. That's what we're fighting for. That's why we keep up this battle for the Planet." He finished before he turned back to Barret, who scratched his head.

"You're right...it sounds cool sayin' its to save the planet. But I was the one who blew up that Mako Reactor...lookin' back on it now, I can see that wasn't the right way to do things. I made a lot of friends and innocent bystanders suffer..." He threw his fist into the air, looking pained. "At first it was for revenge against Shinra. For attackin' my town. But now..." He paused with a sigh then a faint smile appeared on his face. "Yeah. I'm fightin' for Marlene. For Marlene...for Marlene's future. Yeah...I guess I want to save the planet for Marlene's sake."

Cloud nodded with a smile. The others were looking just as thoughtful as he was. "Go and see her. Make sure you're right and come back." He turned to the others. "All of you. Get off the ship and find out your reasons for yourselves. I want you to make sure. Then I want you to come back." He told them.

Cid shook his head. "Maybe ain't none of us'll come back. Meteor's just gonna kill us anyway. Let's just forge any useless struggling!"

Lilie looked at him, before shaking her head. "No, Cid." She watched as everyone looked at her. "If we don't fight...then who will? It may be useless to struggle against a chaos that will probably happen anyway, but to go down fighting, that's a better cause. That way, we'll have something be proud of when we join the Lifestream. We fought for our future, we fought for honor and love."

Cloud nodded along with the others. "I know why I'm fighting. I'm fighting to save the planet, and that's that. But besides that, there's something personal too. A very personal memory that I have." He looked at Tifa when he said that. But then he looked at the others. "What about you all? I want all you to find that something within yourselves. If you don't find it, then that's okay too. You can't fight without a reason, right? So I won't hold it against you if you don't come back." He looked around at everyone who all looked away before they all left the airship.

* * *

Lilie walked away from the airship as the sky grew darker, into the night. She wrapped her arms around herself and she just walked into the night until she wandered onto a cliff side and sat down. She looked towards the dark city of Midgar. 

"What am I fighting for?" She whispered to herself.

She tried to think. She didn't know what could have been her own answer. She didn't have anything left in her life. She had lost her parents, she had lost Rufus. She still had her friends, yes. But how long would that last? Would she end up losing them too? With how her luck has been going throughout her entirely life, most likely. She sighed and closed her eyes, tilting her head back. She could feel tears starting to flood her eyes.

"Mom...dad...Aeris...I can't do this. I have nothing to fight for. Only my friends. I have no family, no home. I don't even have a job anymore. I'm no longer a Turk." She sighed as she lowered her head and wrapped her arms around her knees. She turned her watery eyes up to the stars. "I don't have you, Rufus, because you were taken away from me. I have nothing." She whispered. She sniffed as she felt her tears coming like a flood now. "Nothing..."

She slowly opened her eyes when she felt a presense behind her. She just sat there, waiting for him to join her. But he stayed in the darkness. "You haven't lost everything...you still have something..." He finally spoke up.

Lilie still didn't turn around but she lift her head higher. "What would that be, Vincent? What do I have?"

The Ex-Turk then quietly stepped closer, standing over her. She could feel his red eyes looking into her. "...you still have your life, Lilie. You have a life in your future and that's no reason to throw it away. And you have life inside you."

Lilie finally turned back, looking into his deep red eyes. She just stared at him, as he stood there. "...what do you mean?"

Vincent shook his head as he stared down at her. "I don't know. But I know that there's something new about you since we first met. You will know in time. And someday I may know. But right now...you have yourself to fight for. Even if you lost everything before. The only thing you have is your future." He told her quietly. Lilie slowly nodded before she stood up, facing him. "What are you fighting for, Vincent? Are you going to fight?"

There was a long pause between them before Vincent slowly nodded as he turned away. "I thought I had only one thing to fight for. But I discovered that I have more than that. At first, it was going to be revenge on Hojo for what he did. Then it was going to be to end Lucrecia's suffering...it would pain her to know that her son had turned into a villain like this. But now...I realize why I'm fighting is for someone else."

Lilie tilted her head as she looked up into his eyes. "Who?"

Vincent turned away for a minute before he looked back into her eyes. "I'm fighting for the last of my family, Lilie. For my niece...that would be you."

That surprised Lilie greatly that she stepped back, looking up at him in alarm. "What?"

"Lilie...my sister was Bella Valentine before she married your father. She married him before I left for Nibelhiem to guard Professor Gast, Hojo and Lucrecia, before Sephiroth was born. You weren't born for quite some time, after I was locked up in that coffin in the Shinra Mansion basement." Vincent said quietly. Lilie slowly covered her mouth as she looked at the ground. She finally knew what her mother had meant in the Lifestream. She had told her that she had an uncle and that she would find out from him. She slowly looked up into Vincent's eyes, smiling faintly. "So it was you who was speaking to me...before I woke up."

"...Yes."

Lilie stood taller, giving him a smile. "So I was destined to be a Turk. It was my destiny to meet you. To learn that my hero...was my uncle." She whispered.

Vincent gave her a very faint smile before he reached out towards her with his golden arm. Lilie smiled back as she took his golden arm and let him bring her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his slender chest, embracing him. "So I'm not alone." She whispered. Vincent nodded. "You'll never be alone. Your parents, Rufus, Tseng...they'll always be with you. No matter what."

"Then I really do have something to fight for, finally." Lilie said as she looked up at Vincent, who looked back at her. "I have my family to fight for."

The Ex-Turk slowly nodded as they pulled away from one another. They both looked towards the city, Lilie frowning as she just stared. "Vincent...I can't go and fight Sephiroth though."

"...?"

Lilie looked up at him. "It's not my place to fight him. It's yours. But I won't stop fighting for the Planet." She paused. "My fight is in Midgar. I have to help Reeve get those people to safety. They need our protection." She said. Vincent was quiet for along time before he nodded. "I understand. And so will the others." He said quietly. Lilie only nodded as she looked back towards the city.

When the morning came and Vincent walked onto the bridge where everyone was, now looking surprised to see him. "Vincent!" Cloud said with surprise. Vincent flipped his cloak back. "Why the puzzled look? Don't you want me to come?" He asked quietly. Cloud looked away before shaking his head. "No. It's just that you're always so cold. I thought you didn't care what was happening." He said. Vincent turned away, flipping his cloak again. "Cool? Hmmm...I guess that's how I am, sorry." He turned and walked over to his spot in his corner. It was at that second that Cait Sith turned himself on and hopped over to the others. "Well, lookey-here. The Shinra manager's come back." Barret said with a grin.

Cait Sith just bowed to him, returning the smile. "Uh, excuse me but...I wanted to come with the main group but I couldn't get away...so some people in Midgar took me in." He straighted up. "I know I have a stuffed animal body but I'll work really hard." He said before he turned and hopped over to his own corner.

Barret looked around before shrugging. "I guess that's everyone." He said. Red XIII looked around before shaking his head. "No, Yuffie's still missing."

Barret shook his head. "She ain't gonna show up. 'Least this time she didn't steal our materia. Guess we gotta be thankful for that." He said. There was an outraged cry from above then Yuffie dropped down from the cieling landing in front of Barret and punching the air at him. "How could you say that?! I came all the way here after being seasick as a dog!" She punched the air again. "I didn't go through all that just to have you guys have the best parts all to yourselves!" She said as she placed her hand on her slender waist.

Cloud smiled shaking his head. "Welcome back, Yuffie."

Yuffie beamed at him. "Gee, Cloud. That's so nice of you to say that...you sick?" She teased. Everyone laughed and shook their heads. "Well, whatever. I'm going to be in my reserved seat in the hall...waiting...upp!...urk!!" She turned and rushed towards the door only to stop. She slowly turned back, looking around the room with a frown. "Wait." She looked worried. "Where's Lilie? Ain't she coming?"

Everyone looked around while Vincent looked away. "...oh..." Tifa sighed. "...so she decided not to come." She said sadly.

Cloud sighed, as he turned away. "That's her decision."

Cait Sith then hopped over. "That's why I couldn't come with the main group. She came to Midgar and is here with me." He said. Everyone just looked at him with confused looks. Vincent then walked up the stairs, facing them. "...she's still fighting, if that's what you're wondering. She is going to fight for the planet in another way." He told them. Everyone looked at him with curiousity. The Ex-Turk only nodded. "Her fight is in Midgar. She's going to help Reeve protect the people there. She told me to tell you that your fight is with Sephiroth and not hers. She wants us to give him an extra beating for her though."

Everyone only smiled. Barret puffed out his chest. "Well, in any case, I'll miss havin' her around! It would'a been nice fightin' along side her again." he said. Cid nodded as he stuck a death stick into his mouth. "Yeh, but like Cloud's gone an' said. It's her decision. Hope we'll see her again, someday. That'll be nice." He said. Vincent nodded as he turned away. "We will." He said before he went back and stood in his corner. "...I know we will..."

Lilie stood outside of Midgar, smiling as she watched the airship fly up into the air then head towards the Northern Continent. She slowly shook her head as she watched them go. "Go get 'em, guys. Pay that bastard back for me." She turned and went back into the city, to find out where Reeve was staying again.

Over the next few days, she was helping Reeve try to talk the people into going into the slums. They both could see that Meteor was heading directly for the City. And since the remaining people of Midgar was so stubborn and refused to move out of the city, they managed to talk them into heading into the storm cellars and the slums. Lilie was directing men to boarding up man holes and helping them build shelters so that people could eat and rest up.

Reeve was among the men in the building process. He was also checking Cait Sith now and then to see how the group of Avalanche were doing. It was sure taking a while in trying to locate Sephiroth in the huge crater. They were still climbing down the sides inside the crater. They were fighting a lot of interesting monsters though. Some Lilie had never seen before. She watched as her friends fought for their lives in the crater. She was starting to wish that she had gone with them, to help them when they needed it. But then again, they seemed to be doing all right on their own.

Over the passing days, Lilie was starting to feel a little sick to her stomach and would end up hurling behind rubbish. She didn't understand why she wasn't feeling so well but it could have been all the dust she had been breathing in in the subway. It was quite gritty and there was as lot of trash underground. She hid her illness from Reeve pretty well, though some of the other people noticed but didn't say anything.

Finally the day had come. Lilie was above ground, looking up at the dark red sky glaring at the Meteor that was ever so close. In her hands were her Psis.

"Lilie! Come on! Let's get underground!" Reeve called as he ran over to her. Lilie didn't look at him. "Lilie! Come on!" He yelled over the howling winds. Lilie continued to glare up at the Meteor that was starting to fall towards her. "I'm staying here, Reeve!" She yelled over the raging storm picking up. "I have to fight this all the way!"

"Lilie! it's too dangerous to be out here! Come on inside, please!" Reeve begged. Lilie looked at him. "No. You go. I'm staying here." She turned back towards the Meteor. "I must fight it."

"Lilie," She looked back at Reeve. "you are fighting it. You are fighting Meteor within yourself. Please, come inside."

Lilie slowly nodded as she turned back to the Meteor. Her eyes narrowed as she watched it coming closer. Then she turned and ran back to the storm cellar with Reeve. They closed the doors and huddled with a group of crying children. They could hear the screams of the Planet while in the ground and even the screams of the winds high above them. Lilie spotted a terrified child, a young brown haired boy, not far from her. She frowned before she reached over and took him into her arms. The little boy sniffed as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder. "I don't wanna die! Please make it stop!" He begged her. Lilie nodded as she hugged him tightly, her own eyes closing. "It'll stop soon." She promised him. She looked back up at the cieling to see a strip of the street get yanked away from above them. There were screams from the people when they saw the red cyclones tearing up the city. Meteor wasn't far from the earth now. It was almost a hundred feet away. Lilie knew that if Holy didn't show up now, they would be crushed by Meteor.

Suddenly a bright blue light shot in between the Planet and Meteor. The light began to form under the Meteor and it made Lilie smile within. She knew Holy had arrived. It was unfortunate that the blue light turned evil red. Lilie gasped as she watched the Meteor pushing through. "Oh no..." She whispered. She knew that it was too late. The Planet is going to die. She closed her eyes tightly. "Aeris...why?" She whispered as she wrapped her arms even tighter around the boy she was holding.

_"Lilie..."_

Lilie's eyes opened and she looked upward. She could see how red the sky was getting. The Meteor was coming closer. The storm was getting worst. But there was something else in the air. Lilie could sense something. She jerked her head towards Reeve, who was looking astonished. "Reeve! What's going on?!" She called to him. Reeve looked over at her, almost speechless. He slowly shook his head. "Holy is intertwining with Meteor! It's not working!" He said. Lilie shook her head. "But what else is happening?! Something else is coming!" She cried out to him.

Reeve just frowned before he looked back at the screen of his controller. He studied it before his eyes lit up. "Oh my god!"

"Reeve! What is it?!" Lilie yelled at him.

The former Shinra employee looked at her with a faint look. But he didn't say anything. Instead he looked up at the sky just as streams of green light shot under the Meteor and Holy. Lilie gasped as she watched the light began wrapping around the red cyclones and grew brightly. Everyone around her looked just as astonished. Lilie kept a hold of the boy as she stood up and looked up into the light. One stream of light hovered above the crack and she gasped when she saw forms appear. A faint image of her parents. They were smiling down at her.

_"Lilie...don't be scared. Everything is going to be all right." _She heard her mother's voice.

Lilie faintly smiled as she looked over and spotted Aeris's form right next to them. _"Trust me..." _She whispered before the stream of light grew brighter into white light.

_"And remember...it's not what you think. He'll be all right." _

Lilie closed her eyes tightly as the light grew too bright for her eyes. She knelt onto the ground, shielding the boy she held with her own body. She could hear gasps and frightened cries from the children and the adults all around her. She felt Reeve's own arm wrap around her as if he was shielding her from the falling debries. They could hear some kind of faint music in the air as they heard the screams of the planet.  
And then it went silent.  
She didn't know how long she knelt there over the boy, with Reeve trying to protect her. But when everything went quiet, she slowly lift her head and looked up at the light that was now streaming through the cracks. She heard the voices of the other people around her. Reeve finally pulled away from her and looked up, himself. The boy under her wriggled a little to look for himself. They all sat there before slowly one by one, everyone stood up. Lilie released the boy, letting him stand up next to her before she turned and walked over to a ladder. She knew that Reeve and the people were following her but she didn't stop. She just climbed up what was left of the ladder and out of the under ground. She stepped out of the hole and moved over the rubble under her feet. Her eyes very wide as she looked around. She couldn't believe her eyes. The Planet was still alive. There was no sign of Meteor or Holy. Nor the Lifestream that had just saved everyone.

"Wh-what happened?" She heard a voice.

She looked down at the boy she had tried to protect. He was looking around with wonder. The former Turk turned around and looked at everyone that was climbing out from the storm cellars. They were all alive still. No one was hurt or dying. They were all right. Just as Aeris had said.

Lilie smiled as she looked up at the blue sky and the golden clouds from the morning sun. "We survived. And it was the Planet's call. It decided to give us another chance." She said with a smile. She breathed in deeply before she wrapped her arms around her. She would live her life, the way she was suppose to. Even if it meant no Rufus Shinra, yet it saddened her to think that she would never see him again. She made her decision at that very moment. She would never return to Midgar unless her heart called for it.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Chapter 27:**

And Lilie never did look back at Midgar once she left the place. She just travelled on her own, saying goodbye only to Reeve and made him promise that he would give Avalanche her goodbyes for her. He was sad to see her go. He had tried to talk her into going with him to meet with Cloud and his friends but she shook her head.  
"My place is not with them anymore, Reeve. I have to go. But tell them I love them all and I will miss them." She told him. "And tell them that someday we will see each other again. I promise. But right now, I have to live my new life, setting myself up." And then she left Reeve to take care of the people in Midgar.

Lilie had gone to Kalm, to spend a few months before she set off to go to Junon to buy a passage to her old hometown, Costa Del Sol where she planned to return to her home. However, during the first two months of staying in Kalm she made a wild discovery. She had been so ill over the past weeks that it made her incapable of travelling until she visited a doctor.  
It was then she discovered that she was pregnant.  
Lilie lived in Kalm for the rest of the year, just until her baby would be born. She made a living working with the innkeeper of Kalm. He was very kind to her, no matter how slow she was getting because of her pregnancy. He didn't seem to care at all. All he did was ask her if she was comfortable enough. With a smile, she said yes and went back to work.  
She was also finding that carrying a baby in her womb was a little difficult. Especially when she was constantly eating. It scared her to think that she would never get her figure back. It definitely ruined her plan to keep training with her Psis. She couldn't train at all while having such a big belly. It made her slower and inflexible. So she spent her time either working on her feet or reading. She had heard of the new happenings in Midgar. Travellers brought news of Avalanche rebuilding a new city within the city. They were going to call it Edge Town, since it was on the edge of Midgar. She had seen the flyers of Cloud's new business. **Strife's Delivery Service**. It made her smile to think that he just couldn't stop helping the people. She hoped that his business flourished greatly while doing that.

She hadn't heard any news about her old friends, The Turks. The only thing she did hear was that they were taking up their own business in bodyguard work. Though, really no one needed such protection anymore. There was peace through out the land. Not even monsters were a problem.

Finally after nine months, Lilie gave birth to her baby. The night had been quite a stormy one. The rain was coming down hard and the wind was shaking the walls of the house. Everyone had been afraid that the storm would blow everything up. But it was lucky enough that the houses were still strong and standing. Lilie was in great pain during the delivery. A pain she had never felt before. She was crying out in pain as the doctor and the nurse she remembered from Mideel tried to help her.  
Lilie remembered how it had been that night. She remembered how her strength was giving out quickly and she couldn't stand it any longer. She felt like she was going to black out from all the pain she was going through. Eventually she had but it wasn't like it would have been. She remembered she had seen someone else in the room with her and the doctors. She had seen Aeris smiling at her from a corner. _  
"It's going to be all right, Lilie. He'll be okay." _She heard Aeris's voice.  
And that was when she heard the loud cries of a baby. Lilie opened her eyes to see the doctor holding a bloodied form of a baby. She smiled weakly as she watched the new lifeform she had just gave. And she soon was holding the new life in her arms, looking down into the most beautiful blue eyes looking into hers. The baby just stared in wonder at the matching blue eyes gazing back him. It was a boy, Lilie's boy.

"What are you going to name him, Mom?" The nurse asked in a soft voice.

Lilie smiled gently at her newborn son. She gently touched his fat red cheeks, caressing his skin. "Reid Moy Shinra." She whispered. She gently kissed her baby's forehead and looked out the window. "Rufus...I hope you're enjoying this. Because I am." She whispered as she stared up at a new star in the sky.

After two weeks of recovering from the delivery, Lilie decided to leave Kalm and head for Costa Del Sol. She carried her son in her arms the entire way, riding in a carriage full of loud people, yet it didn't seem to bother the sleeping baby boy. And then when in Junon, she took a ship across the ocean to her old hometown. When she arrived, she went home with Reid and got a job as a lifeguard. She took care of her baby very well, even when she was doing it herself. Eventually, she bought a mini piano and she played for him all the time, promising the baby that when he was older she would teach him how to play.

The years slowly went by, two to be precise. Lilie and Reid were living happily together and she was finding that her son was quite the fast learner. It surprised her greatly to see that Reid was taking up his father's looks. She could have sworn that it really was Rufus when his strawberry blonde hair grew. His eyes, however belonged to her. They were blue as crystals, just like her's. She would have though that they would have taken up an icy blue color like his father's too but they hadn't. He had learned how to walk exactly at one years old, on his birthday. Lilie had never been more proud of him.

She told him many stories about her past and about her friends, though he never seemed to listen. It made her laugh to see that Reid definitely had her spunk yet his father's snobby attitude. She never loved him less though. She just loved him more and more every day he breathed.

And when he was two years old, something horrible had happened and it scared her almost to death. Reid had caught the virus that had been going around. The one called Geostigma.

She spent hours on end trying to help keep the fever down and to keep him from being in so much pain. She had used up her magic power trying to cure him but it never seemed to work. He just grew sicker and sicker. Black and blue bruises were forming on his skin, just like how it was doing with some of the other children. Even a few adults were catching the virus but not many. Eventually a few of the children died and it scared her even more to think that she was going to lose Reid.

Then she heard rumors about three strange men that knew how to cure the illness. She didn't know what to think of it but she didn't think she had any other choice. If they knew how to get rid of the illness, maybe they could help Reid. So she packed up a few things, Reid's cloths and even some of his toys and they took a ship back across the ocean. Lilie was going to take him to Kalm, where she heard the men were.  
When she arrived several days later, they were there all right. But the moment she saw them, she didn't trust them. She recognized their features almost too well. They looked just like Sephiroth. And she wasn't going to put her son's life into the hands of men who reminded her of him. She rented a room in the old inn she worked in and tried her best to help her son get over the illness.

She was also keeping her eyes on the news of the three men that were travelling from one place to the next. She decided to ask them herself of how they would cure her son. And she knew that she wasn't going to like what they said.

Lilie approached the men while they were town, seeming to be looking for something. They were quite young, one of them a few years younger than she was. One was about her age and another was a few years older. They all had silver hair just like Sephiroth had. They even had strange colored eyes. Lilie wasn't liking this one bit. But she knew that she had to find out how to help her son.

"Excuse me." She said to the one near her age. The long, silver haired man turned his strange cat like eyes onto her when she walked up to him. The dark look in his eyes made her step back in surprise but she stood her ground anyway. "I was told that you know how to cure the children from the Geostigma. Is that true?"

The man studied her before turning fully towards her. A cold smirk came to his lips and Lilie immediately saw Sephiroth before her. She grabbed the handles of her Psis on her belt, waiting for something to happen. "Yes." He said quietly. "We know how cure the children. Where is the child you wish to cure?"

Lilie frowned at him. "I just want to know how to do it myself. How do I get rid of the Geostigma?"

The man shook his head as he turned away, impatiently waving his hand at her. "You can not do it yourself. You have to let Kadaj do it."

"Kadaj?"

The man just lazily motioned to the youngest of the three, who seemed to be arguing on his mobile phone with someone. Lilie pulled a face at how young the man was and about the choice words he was using against the person he was talking about. She then shook her head as she looked back at the silver haired man, eyeing him suspiciously.  
He wasn't looking at her anymore but she was sure that he knew she was still there. His head was tilted a little as if he was looking at her over his shoulder. Lilie turned away, a deep sigh on her breath. "I just can't lose my son." She said softly as she walked towards the inn. She felt eyes staring after her as she walked away and it did make her turn back and look towards the men. The long silver haired man was watching her now, a deep frown on his face. There was something strange about that look. He looked almost surprised by her words, yet somewhat touched. He looked as if he had never, ever heard someone say something like that before. He looked...touched by her words.

"Mama, mama!"

Lilie turned back towards the door to see that Reid was wobbling out the door. "Reid! What are you doing out here? You're sick and you should be in bed." She said as she scooped him up and held him closer to her. The little boy's tiny hands clutched at her blouse as he looked over to the men. She glanced over to see what he was looking at and she noticed that all three silver haired men were now looking towards her.

All three were just staring at her, almost in surprise yet confusion. But then the oldest of the three smirked as he looked at Reid in Lilie's arms and started towards her, as if he was going to start something.  
Lilie tensed, her arms wrapping tighter around Reid. She wasn't sure what the large man was going to do but she didn't like the look on his eyes.  
But then the long haired brother suddenly snatched his older brother's shoulder, holding him back. He never even looked away from Lilie's eyes at all. The large brother looked at the younger with confusion, and almost glaringly at him. He didn't seem to like the fact that his younger brother was holding him back. But with a very silent word that even Lilie couldn't hear, the long haired man shook his head before turning away. The large brother glared after his younger brother before looking at the youngest, Kadaj as if looking for permission.

Kadaj was still staring at Lilie in wonder, as if he was trying to figure something out about her. But after a long moment, he shook his head and Lilie heard him say, "No, Loz. Not that boy. Leave them be. We'll worry about the others." And he went back to arguing with someone on his mobile.

Lilie frowned as she glared after the large lug who had whined as he turned away but then she looked at the long haired fellow, almost feeling grateful that he had actually held his large brother back. His eyes were on her again, but just barely. With a low sigh, she mouthed, Thank you, to him as she held her son closer. She still didn't trust the look of all three though. Not even the long haired one, even if he just held the one called Loz back.  
"Mama? Who they?" She heard her son ask. Lilie slowly shook her head as she just met the youngest silver haired man's eyes. "No one in importance, Reid. Come on, you. You're too ill to be outside. Let's go get you back into bed." She said before she went inside with her son.

Once she had put Reid back into bed she looked out the window to see if the three men were still there in town. They were. And they seemed to be talking to one another about something. Eventually, the oldest of the three glanced up at the window as if he could sense her eyes. Lilie pulled back a little but noticed that he wasn't looking towards the window anymore. She cracked the window open and listened as hard as she could to the conversation the three were having. It made her teeth clench tightly at what she heard.

"...is in a few days. We have to find brother and find out where he's hiding Mother." The young man, Kadaj said.

"Kadaj, why not take that one boy with us? We're gathering the kids in Midgar. Why not here?" The oldest one.

Lilie had to step back again when she saw Kadaj's eyes turn up towards her window. "We can't touch that one. Didn't you see the spell around those two? I have a feeling that woman is something else or she has met Sephiroth."

"Do you really think so, Kadaj? I sense something about her too but she doesn't seem that special." The long haired one said awfully quiet.

"Yeah. We can't touch that boy. For some reason, I'm feeling a push against that one. I think Mother might not want us to take him. Let's go. We still have to catch up to big brother." Kadaj then gave a low dark chuckle. "As for those meddling fools that took Mother from us, we'll find out where they are. And when we do, we will make them pay." He said. The other two nodded and they soon left on their bikes.

Lilie just stood there in the dark in silence. Who were those three? Were they just like Sephiroth? Why did they say that they were going to take a boy? They couldn't have meant Reid. That made Lilie ball up her fist to think of them trying to take her son from her. She would kill them before they could.

* * *

Fortunately they never returned to Kalm. But that didn't mean she didn't hear anything about them. Not long after their visit, she found someone from Midgar and found out who they were and what they were doing. From what she learned, it angered her.

"They're something called Sephiroth clones, ma-am. Apparently they're the ones who are responcible for the virus, or so that's what we all think. They were gathering kids, saying that they were going to fix the children. But they wouldn't return the children after that. You're lucky that they didn't take your son. You would have never seen him again." The woman she talked to said. Lilie lowered her head before going back to her room.

That night, she looked at her son's sleeping form, watching him breath. To see him so sick, made tears flood her eyes and she cried softly to herself. She was never so scared for him. She was so afraid that she would lose him. He was going to die and she couldn't do anything about it.

The very next day, something had brought her out of the inn with Reid. She had heard some kind of commotion outside and it made her go outside to see what was going on. The entire town was gathered outside Kalm, looking towards Midgar. When Lilie looked, she was in for a shock.  
There was some kind of monster attacking the city. Dark clouds were high above the city while the monster was fighting with something or quite a few people. There was explosions going off everywhere every time it tried to attack something.  
Lilie held Reid closer. She wanted so much to go to Midgar and find out what was going on but it was her worry for Reid that was keeping her by her son. She saw how weak he was getting now and it scared her even more. He could barely keep his eyes open now or lift a hand. Lilie cradled Reid as she watched the monster suddenly explode into bright blue light and was gone.

Something had destroyed the monster but what had it been?

Not long after that, the clouds high in the air grew darker and black rain drops began fall. Lilie gasped as they fell onto her and Reid and it made her worry even more. The rain drops felt like poison against her skin. She could feel the acid like burn in them and smell the scent of death in the water. She could already hear some of the children crying in pain and Reid was whimpering. The only thing she could do was rush over to the side of the house, under shelter and watch the city of Midgar.

Something was definitely happening, something terrible and she couldn't help it stop. She had to take care of Reid.

All of a sudden, after moments of the dark rain, the black clouds slowly rolled away and the sun was shining again. The clouds turned into golden color and crystal clear rain was now falling. Lilie felt some kind of feeling from the rain. She slowly walked out into the rain, looking up at the beautiful sky. The raindrops falling onto her and Reid.

And then to her surprise, she watched some kind of strange light form through the bruising areas of her son's skin and vanish. Lilie gasped softly as she watched Reid heal right before her eyes. She looked up at the sky towards the golden clouds.  
For some reason she could almost see a form standing on the clouds. It didn't surprise her at all to see that it was Aeris's spirit. Lilie smiled as she looked up at the clouds, before she let Reid stand on his own and join the other children in stomping in puddles.

"Thank you, Aeris. You've done it again." Lilie whispered as she looked at the sky.

Then she looked over at her son, smiling. He was going to be all right. Just like Aeris had said before. Lilie then turned and looked towards the city. For some reason, she was feeling a pull towards the city. She looked down at the necklace around her neck. For some reason the orb was glowing brightly. Something was happening and she knew that it must have been good. Lilie knew she had to return to the city.  
Just one more time, and this time, she would take her son with her. She just had a feeling that things really were going to be all right.


	29. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Lilie finished telling Reid about the story of how she had met, loved and lost his father. She was in tears as she finished. Her son just gently touched the tears rolling down her cheeks. He gave her a comforting smile. "I' will be al'ight, mama. Don' cry."  
Lilie wiped her tears away as she placed a kiss on her son's forehead. How she loved this boy with all her heart. Reid reminded her so much of his father, the one man she loved the most. She breathed in a deep sigh as she looked around the ruins. She didn't want to leave this place, but then again, what did she have here? She had nothing left. She had only her Psis, the necklace Rufus had given her, and her son.

"Let's go home now." She said as she set Reid down on the seat.

But then she looked at him when he gasped. There was a frightened look on his face as he looked over her shoulder. She spun around and a gasp escaped her own throat. There was several Nibel wolves creeping out of the ruins, snarling towards the two. Lilie quickly stood up straight, placing her hands on the car roof and the door, as if just blocking the wolves from her son. Her eyes narrowed at the monsters starting to stalk towards her. "Go away!" She yelled at them.

The wolves only snarled again. Lilie quickly turned around and rolled the car window up. "Reid, don't come out of the car! No matter what happens!" She said as she locked the doors and closed the door. The little boy was now crying as he put his hands against the glass and watched his mother.

Lilie whipped out her Psis and stood in a fighting stance, her eyes burning with rage. "Stay away from my son!" She yelled. The wolves snarled as they began to lunge at her. She quickly ducked under one wolf, stabbing upwards with her Psi. The wolf yiped as it fell to the earth, bleeding heavily from the wound. She spun around, slashing out at the next wolf. Her Psi cut into the wolf's jugular. It fell to the ground, dead.  
The Ex-Turk moved extremely graceful as she dodged the jaws of the beasts and sliced them with her Psis. That is until she heard the sound of glass shattering and a scream. She looked past the wolves and saw one of them were attacking the car to get inside. And inside, Reid was screaming in fear for her.

"Reid!" She screamed before she kicked a Nibel wolf hard in the head with her foot and then rushed over to the car.

She stabbed the wolf in the back with her Psi, making it yelp in pain. She yanked her blade out of the wolf and stabbed it again. It pulled its head out of the glass and backed away, rolling around on the ground with painful yipes. Lilie looked into the car at her terrorified son. "Reid! Lay on the ground and put the blanket on you!" She cried out to him before she screamed in pain as a wolf slashed into her back.

"Mommy!" Reid screamed.

Lilie spun around and slashed the wolf that had attacked her. She placed her hand on her shoulder where it ached. She glared at the remaining four wolves. They were snarling and slowly enclosing. There was too many for her to take out by herself. But she couldn't let any of them get to Reid. She charged again at the wolves, jumping to the side as one wolf tried to snap at her heels. She kicked up hard, hitting the wolf right in the chin. The wolf yiped as blood filled its mouth from biting its tongue in half. Lilie threw out her hand at the wolf, blasting it with Fire 3. It went flying back right into the scrap piles.

Suddenly she felt a heavy body jump on her, knocking her to the ground. She screamed in pain as jaws locked onto her arm.

The remaining three wolves jumped on her trying to attack her at once. She could hear Reid screaming for her. She had dropped the Psis from the fall so she had a hard time in escaping. She could feel the wolves trying to slash her apart. But the only thing she looked at was her son's white and tear streaked face. She felt her own tears stinging in her eyes. 'My son is going to watch me die!' She thought as she tried to shove a wolf off of her. Another wolf bit into her leg making her scream.

"Yo! Get off her, you nasty beast!" A voice yelled out before one of the wolves yanked away, yiping as a boot connected with its head. The other two jumped away as someone landed next to them and then swung a long, thin rod at them. They snarled at the intruder.

There was another thud and another man joined the first. "Reno! The woman! See if she's all right! We'll take care of this." A new voice rang. It sounded awfully familiar. It sounded like someone that Lilie had known a long time ago. But it couldn't have been Tseng. He was dead, wasn't he?  
But she still gasped in surprise as she heard the name. She looked up to see a handsome face looking down at her. The man looked just as surprised as soon as he got a good look at her. It was a face that Lilie had not seen for such a long time.

"Lilie?!"

"Reno?!"

A grin appeared on the red head's face as he looked at her. "My Hyne! I can't believe it's you!" He then frowned as he looked her over. "Man, are you all right?!" He gasped as he pulled out a blue green orb. Lilie gave a weak laugh as she winced from the pain in her arm. "I'm bleeding from an attack by those savage beasts, Reno. What do you think?"

Reno smiled faintly as he held her sit up. "Yeah, you got a point. You look like shit. Come on. See if you can stand up." he said as he waved his hand over her, casting a Cure 3 over. Her wounds instantly healed as she let Reno pull her up to her feet. She rubbed her arm where the wolf had bitten her. She then looked to see a very familiar blonde haired woman firing her gun at one of the wolves. Two more men were fighting the other two.  
And one of them, the one who had given Reno the orders of checking on her a moment ago shocked the hell out of her to see him. She could not not believe her own eyes. It was Tseng!

"Tseng?!" She gasped. Once the black haired man finished killing the wolf, he turned to look at her. His own eyes widened from seeing her.

"Lilie?" He gasped as he hurried over. Elena and Rude finished killing the last ones. They looked over at Lilie, astonishment filled their eyes. Lilie was just looking at Tseng in shock. "Tseng? Is that you?"

Tseng couldn't help but smile as he looked her over. He then shook himself out of his stunned ways and smiled. "Yeah. It's me. Lilie, I can't believe it's you." He said as he walked over. Lilie smiled with tears in her eyes before she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Tseng's chest. Everyone only smiled as they watched. Tseng hugged her back before pulling away, holding her at arms length.

"Tseng! I thought you were dead! Sephiroth killed you! I saw you die!" Lilie said with tears running down her cheeks. Tseng only smiled as he stepped back and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, not exactly. You didn't actually see me die. Before you came, Cloud and his gang found me at the Temple. Aeris had healed me before they went in. And then at Healin Lodge, the doctors managed to save my life. You know, you saved me too. You took me there at the right time." He said. Lilie smiled as she looked over at the smiling Elena and Rude. "Elena, Rude." She said weakly. The blonde laughed a little as she rushed forward, hugging her next. "Lilie, it's been so long. We've all been so worried about you." She said as she pulled away. Lilie wiped her tears away. "I've been travelling a lot since the last time we met."

"Mommy!" Lilie gasped when she heard Reid's voice. She quickly looked over Reno's shoulder at her frightened son in the car as he was struggling to unlock the door. "Reid!" She pushed past the red haired Turk and rushed over to the car. She took the keys out of her pocket and quickly unlocked the door.

The four surprised looking Turks only watched as Lilie scooped up the three in a half year old boy and hold him close. "Reid, are you all right?" She asked. The crying boy only sniffed into her shoulder, hugging her tight. She then turned with him and looked at the looks on her four friends' faces. "Oh!" She then smiled as she pulled away from Reid, who looked tearfully, yet curiously at the four. Reno's eyes were as wide as golf balls as he just studied the child. Rude had removed his glasses to get a good look at the boy, himself, while Tseng and Elena looked astonished. Lilie looked from them to her son and then back. "Um, guys, Elena. This is Reid. He's my son. Reid, these are my friends. The Turks from my stories." She said sweetly.

Tseng was the first one to say something. He smiled as he stepped forward and held out his hand towards the boy, who shyly looked at him then took his finger. "Well, well. Who would have thought? He's quite the boy, Lilie." He said as he shook Reid's hand. Lilie only smiled proudly. Reno just stared with shock. "Oh my god. He looks like Rufus."

Everyone laughed as they looked the boy over. Lilie sadly smiled. "That's because Reid is his son too." She told them.

The four Turks looked at her in shock. "What?" Elena gasped as she covered her mouth. Reno stepped back from being so shocked. Lilie nodded with a sad sigh. "That's right. Before Rufus died, we...um, well...you get the idea. Rufus was Reid's father." She said. The four just stood there for a long time before smiles started to appear on their faces. Elena shook her head.

"Lilie, Rufus isn't..." She never got to finish because Reno quickly covered her mouth to shut her up. "Really?! Wow! That's...you know, I would've never guessed!"

Lilie was staring at him with surprise. Tseng and Rude seemed to guess what Reno had in mind. They both smiled. Tseng nodded as he looked at Lilie with a sad smile. "Your son is very beautiful, Lilie. Rufus would have been proud." He said. Lilie returned the sad smile. Elena pulled Reno's hand off her mouth and gave him a cold look. "But..." She was saying. Tseng turned around. "Elena, why don't you and Rude go get the car? We'll take Lilie and her son to Healin Lodge so she can get cleaned up. And then we can catch up." He said. Rude quickly grabbed Elena's arm and dragged her with him, while whispering something to her.

Lilie just stared after them with confusion and suspicion. "All right, what's going on?" She asked as she set Reid down and held his hand. Tseng and Reno both shook their heads. "Nothing!" They both said at the same time.

"We just want to know if you want to join us for a cup of coffee." The red head said. Lilie gave them another look before smiling slyly. "Sorry. But I can't. Reid and I are going back to Kalm Harbor and then we're taking a boat back to Costa Del Sol." She said. Tseng frowned a little but Reno only grinned. "Aw, come on, Lil. Join us. Healin Lodge is on the way. Just stop by with us."

Lilie shook her head. "You guys, I can't. Reid and I will miss our boat."

Tseng shrugged. "There'll be other boats. Come on, Lilie. This will be fun." He said. Lilie folded her arms, giving them a look. "All right. What is going on? I'm not going anywhere with you four unless you tell me." She said. Tseng and Reno looked at one another before sighing. "Okay, okay. We'll tell you. We're having a party with Avalanche. We're celebrating the end of the Geostigma crisis." The black haired Turk said. Reno nodded. "Yeah! Cloud and his gang would love see you again. It's been a while since you saw them too, hasn't it?"

Lilie faintly smiled and nodded. "That's true. Well...I guess it would be all right." She looked down at Reid who looking at the two taller men with interest. "What do you think, little man? You want to go to a party?" His mother asked. Reid smiled brightly and nodded. "Yeah!" He said excitedly. The three adults smiled. "All right. There you have it. You have to come now." Reno said. Lilie looked at him. "Okay. We'll go."

Tseng and Reno grinned at one another. "Good. You're never going to regret this, Lil. Believe me."

* * *

The two cars made their way up the driveway towards the lodge. Lilie just looked up at the building with interest. She had been to the Healin Lodge twice but that was a long time ago. The parking lot in front of the lodge had a few cars parked here and there. Lilie could see a very nice motorbike sitting off to the side all by itself.  
When they parked, Lilie and Reid both climbed out of the car, still looking up at the building. Tseng walked over to them with a smile. "Well, if we're going to be at a party, don't you want to change before you see everyone?" 

Lilie shrugged. "I guess so." She got into her bag and pulled out some cloths. "I'll just get changed inside." She said. Tseng bit his lip, but then nodded. "All right. Come. I'll take you inside."  
Reno hurried up with a big smile. "Hey, Reid. Want to ride on my shoulders?" He asked. Reid jumped up and down with joy. "Yeah! Yeah! Mama, can I?" He asked looking up at Lilie, who smiled and nodded. Reno scooped Reid up and placed him onto his shoulders. "All right! It's party time!" He said hurrying towards the house. "Reno! Don't go too fast! Because if you drop him, I will drop you!" Lilie called after them.

They went inside together, but Tseng pulled Lilie aside to a room. "Here you can get dressed in here real quick. Then we'll go upstairs where everyone is." He said. Lilie nodded as she closed the door and moved over to a bed to change.

As soon as she was done, she let Tseng lead her to the stairs where Reno and Reid were waiting. "Come on. Everyone's waiting." The red head said. Lilie took Reid's hand and they climbed the stairs after Tseng and Reno, who were grinning at each other.

They approached a room where there were voices heard from the otherside and the lights were on. Somone was laughing their head off and Lilie knew that voice. She recognized it as Cid Highwind's voice. She smiled remembering the first time she had met him. It wasn't a very pleasant first meeting either. Reno pushed the door open, strolling in with a big grin. "Hey, everyone! We're back from Midgar! And you will not believe what we found!"  
Tseng paused in the door way as he turned to look at Lilie with a very warm smile. Lilie looked past him to see a very familiar man, standing in the corner. It was Vincent Valentine. Like always, he was wearing all black and his big red cloak. When he had turned his blood red eyes onto her, they widened with surprise and he immediately straightened.

"Hey, Vince. What's wrong with you?" Lilie heard the voice of that one girl, Yuffie. She couldn't control herself anymore. She had to see them. So she went in.

Everyone was just looked up at her when she entered before freezing in surprise. Cid had been leaning against the wall, chewing on a toothpick since everyone had yelled at him for smoking around the kids. But when he saw Lilie walk into the room, the toothpick dropped right out of his mouth. Even Reeve was there. Just sitting on his chair with Cait Sith sitting on his lap. Every single Avalanche member was there.

Of course, there was another face there that Lilie had not counted on seeing.

She froze stock still when she saw him just sitting there in a wheelchair, holding a glass of champaigne. Her eyes had grown wide and tears began to sting them. Her mouth had fallen wide. The man she had been looking at looked just as stunned. He was stunned enough to drop his champaigne glass, making it shatter. His icy blue eyes just gazed right back into her's.  
It was none other than Rufus Shinra.  
Lilie just stood there gazing right at Rufus as if he was a ghost. Her face had drained of color. She felt so cold. She couldn't believe it. It was him. He was alive. But...but how? She let go of Reid's hand and covered her mouth as tears just filled her eyes.

Rufus, slowly stood up from the wheelchair he had been sitting in and looked her over. "Lil-Lilie?" He felt like he was dreaming. If this was a dream, it was a cruel one. He had not seen her for such a long time. And now that he was seeing her, he only hoped that it wasn't a dream.

"Rufus." Lilie whispered as she slowly dropped her hands. A very faint smile appeared on her face as the tears fell. Rufus could feel his heart just swelling up with joy. His frown slowly turned into a smile. "Lilie..." He said rather breathlessly. Lilie felt a sob escape her as she moved forward. Everyone watched with smiles as the two rushed forward, catching one another into each other's arms. Rufus pulled Lilie close to him as she buried her face into his chest, just crying her heart out now.

This was the grandest reunion anyone had seen for such a long time.

The couple pulled away and then looked at one another. "You're alive." Lilie said weakly. Rufus, surprisingly, had his own tears as he looked her over. "Of course I am. I'm a Shinra." He said before he kissed her very passionately. She returned the kiss, not caring that everyone was watching. She had forgotten that everyone was there. All that mattered that she was back in Rufus's arms. They held each other for the longest time before a tiny voice broke them out of their happy moment.

"Mommy?"

Every head turned to look at the confused looking thee year old. Jaws had fallen at the mere sight of him. Tifa gasped as she threw her hand over her mouth. Cid nearly slid down the wall. "Holy Mother of friggen God." He whispered.

Lilie pulled away from the stunned looking Rufus and smiled at her son. "Reid, honey. Come here. I want you to meet someone." She said holding out her hands. Reid ran over and let his mother pick him up. Lilie looked around at everyone, who all looked just as stunned as Rufus did. She smiled through her tears as she just looked directly at the stunned Rufus. "Everyone, I want you to meet my son, Reid. Reid, these are all of the people from my stories. And this," She pointed at Rufus. "...Reid, this is Rufus. He's your daddy, baby." She whispered to him. Reid just stared at the man that looked exactly like him.

Rufus couldn't take his eyes off the boy. He was trembling from so many emotions going through his mind at the moment. He slowly looked at Lilie. "Lil-Lilie, this is...this isn't a joke, is it? He's...he's really..." He couldn't finish his sentence.  
Lilie half laughed, half sobbed as she nodded. "Yes." She choked out. Rufus looked the boy over as a smile crept up on his face. He rose a trembling hand, wanting to touch his son. Reid only stared at him before he reached out and took the man's hand. "Dada?"

Rufus couldn't help but laugh weakly as he clutched his son's hand. For the very first time, he cried in front of someone. But it wasn't sad tears, it was happy. He had Lilie back and he was a father. "God...he's so beautiful." He whispered. Lilie nodded as she smiled. "Go to your daddy, Reid." She said. Reid held out his hands to Rufus, who took him with shaky arms. They just stared at one another with smiles. Lilie then looked around at Avalanche. "Hey, everyone. It's good to see you too."

Tifa was the first to say something. She quickly stood and hugged Lilie with a weak laugh. "Lilie, it's so good to see you. I can't believe you're a mother. That's so fantastic."

Barret just stared at Rufus and the boy. "I can't believe Shinra's a damn father." Everyone laughed as they stood and welcomed Lilie and Reid. Lilie looked over at the smiling Vincent Valentine in the corner. "Hey, Vince." She said going over to him while everyone was just talking at once about how charming Reid looked.  
The tall and dark Ex-Turk stepped forward, holding out his golden hand to Lilie. She gently took it and then pulled him into a hug, though everyone who was watching them just laughed. Vincent hesitated before returning the hug. "I missed you too." He whispered to her. Lilie pulled away from and gave him a warm smile. "Come say hello to your nephew." She whispered, pulling him towards Rufus and Reid.

While everyone was talking to one another or watching Reid and Vincent just look at one another in wonderment, Rufus pulled Lilie close to him. They gazed at one another, lovingly. "I missed you so much." The blonde said.  
Lilie smiled at him. "I thought you were dead. How did you survive?" She whispered.  
The Ex-President only smiled at her as he shook his head. "I couldn't die, Lil. I just couldn't. When Diamond Weapon blew up my office, I just thought about you. I guess..." He shrugged. "I guess the Planet believed that it wasn't my time yet. It knew that I needed you and you needed me." He said. Lilie placed her head on his chest, holding him close.

Rufus just looked down at her before kissing the top of her head and then lowered his mouth to her ear. "Lilie Moy, marry me."

Lilie looked up at him with surprise but then smiled. She slowly nodded and kissed him. She had Rufus Shinra back in her life. And he was going to stay in her life forever. She would never leave him and he would never leave her.

_The End_

_**A/N: Though this is the end of A Shinra Love Story, this is not exactly the end. There will be a sequel coming up. In the next story, it's going to be about Reid's life and how he falls in love with one of Rufus Shinra's oldest enemies' daughter. It will include all of the Avalanche members' kids too. Thank you all for reading this story and I assure you, the sequel will be up soon. **_

**_Eden Black_**


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